


The Devil Went Down to London

by whopooh



Series: Devils, Detectives, and Questionable Decisions [3]
Category: Lucifer (TV), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M, Multi, Phryne and Jack finally get together, and Lucifer is the biggest flirt, by working a case of course, canon-compliant for both shows, luciphrack, poor Jack how will he handle Phryne AND Lucifer?, post S3 for MFMM, pre-canon for Lucifer, shenanigans in London, they have a name now:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-24 17:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whopooh/pseuds/whopooh
Summary: Jack Robinson had managed to pick up Lucifer Morningstar on his journey to England. Why, he asks himself, was he even surprised that Phryne Fisher already knew this magnetic man?The three of them arrive in London, and Amenadiel tasks Lucifer with a mission – a demon has escaped Hell, and it is down to Lucifer and his two Detectives to find it.Phryne brings the Devil to a family dinner, much to her father consternation.  And Jack is stranded withtwodark-haired incorrigible flirts. However will he manage?
Relationships: Mazikeen & Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Phryne Fisher & Jack Robinson & Lucifer Morningstar, Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson, Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson/Lucifer Morningstar
Series: Devils, Detectives, and Questionable Decisions [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1548196
Comments: 96
Kudos: 116





	1. Arrival and Amenadiel

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to aurora_australis and Fire_Sign for talking through the plot with me and helping with the title, and to Arlome for beta reading. You are all the best! ❤︎
> 
> I just really love these characters and the idea of them meeting, so I had to write more! 
> 
> This continues the series of fics crossing _Lucifer_ with _Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries_. It is also possible to read as a standalone.

As they arrived in London, they went to the Brown’s, Phryne’s favourite hotel in the city. It was situated in Mayfair, a fashionable choice in the middle of the city. Lucifer admired the white façade he could see through the car window, its abundance of iron railings holding up the flower arrangements invitingly.

“You will enjoy it immensely, Lucifer,” Phryne said as they exited the car. “It’s very comfortable. I stayed here my first week in London, before I arranged for a flat of my own.”

She asked Jack and the butler to wait in the car while she took care of the hotel. Putting her hand on Lucifer’s bicep, she allowed herself to be escorted through the entrance and to the front desk. He was sure they cut a rather formidable figure together.

“Miss Fisher! How lovely to see you again,” the porter exclaimed.

“Rudolph,” she answered without having to check his nametag; this was obviously a person she knew. She sent one of her extra charming smiles his way. “I have a friend in dire need of a room. I know it’s a bit sudden, but do you have a suite ready? Or a reasonably large room?”

“Of course, anything for you, Miss Fisher,” Rudolph answered, smiling dreamily as he looked through his register. 

Lucifer was silently watching, leaning on the desk, fascinated to see charm at work – usually he was the one who did the charming. He noted Phryne’s alluring movements, her sweet smile, and the look of gratitude on her face. She really was a pro.

“I actually have the suite you stayed in yourself, Miss Fisher,” Rudolph said, smiling at the way she perked up at the suggestion. “On the second floor,” he added in Lucifer’s direction. “Will that do?”

“That will do splendidly,” Phryne purred, answering instead of Lucifer. “Thank you, Rudolph. Just put it on my regular account.” 

“Oh no, Miss Fisher, you shouldn’t be paying for me,” Lucifer interjected. He was very good at taking care of himself – with humans he usually always found a way.

“It really is my turn this time, Lucifer,” Phryne said, covering his hand with her own. “You took such good care of me in Paris.”

“The inheritance came through, then?” he smiled at her. “The one you didn’t know if you’d ever get to control?”

“Yes. It makes life ever so much simpler. Being able to arrange things as I see fit. To make things a little bit more right in the world.”

Her smile turned serious, and Lucifer was sure there were a lot of things behind that statement.

The porter made him sign the guest registry and gave him the key. 

“Welcome, Mr Morningstar. Shall we bring your luggage up for you?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have any luggage,” Lucifer replied. “I was literally fished out of the ocean. No need to trouble yourself.”

Then he turned to Phryne, who was standing very close to him; he could sense the warmth of her body.

“Thank you, Miss Fisher,” he said, moving to turn away, but before he could Phryne put her hand on his chest, looking at him through her lashes.

“Don’t leave without saying goodbye, Lucifer.” 

Her voice was solemn, not going back to their earlier light-heartedness. Lucifer hesitated for a moment, before exhaling loudly.

“I wish I could promise that. But I’ll do my best.”

After a heartbeat, Phryne nodded, obviously deciding that was the best reply she’d be able to get. She patted his chest before she let go.

“See you very soon, then.”

“Have fun with your Inspector, darling,” Lucifer purred, giving her his most beaming smile. 

Phryne matched it.

“I assure you, I most certainly will.”

**

It wasn’t much further until their own stop. Jack had thought they were heading for Phryne’s parents’ townhouse, and he was secretly fretting about having to be in the same house as Baron Henry Fisher again. To his relief, it turned out Phryne had only borrowed the butler for the drive. They were dropped off in Marylebone and watched as the car disappeared into the traffic again. 

“We’re here,” Phryne said, pausing on the pavement to let her gaze roam over him, greedily. 

He couldn’t help but do the same, his eyes caressing her richly red coat and the tease of white trousers beneath it. Her cheeks beneath the equally red cloche were reddening in the cold November weather, her eyes sparkled as she watched him, and she looked so utterly, wonderfully, breathtakingly _alive_. She was here. And finally, so was he.

It had been so long since that farewell kiss in the airfield – weeks and weeks of waiting and patiently travelling – and now, he was finally by her side. The kiss she’d given him as a welcome at the port had been far too brief to quell any thirst, and he was wondering if he could kiss her again.

Probably not while they were still outside on the street.

Jack forced his mind back to where they were and nodded to her earlier comment.

“Lead the way, Miss Fisher.”

Her flat was less modern than her house in Melbourne, but nevertheless quite cosy, blending nuances of brown, green, and gold. Once he’d admired it properly, Phryne set out a meal prepared for them. She obviously enjoyed the view of Jack Robinson digging into food – she ate quickly and then leaned back to simply follow his movements. 

After the meal, Jack’s luggage arrived. Phryne grabbed one of the cases and he followed her, carrying the rest, to the bedroom. 

“So,” he said, looking around at the lush room and its king size bed, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Is this the only bedroom? Is there only one bed?”

Phryne’s smile widened.

“Of course, Jack. I have no plans to let you hide away in another one.”

He set down his cases, then, and turned towards her, reaching out his hand so he could catch hers and drag her to him, letting one hand stray up to caress her cheek. The similarity to their kiss in the airfield didn’t escape him, and he smiled.

“I’m very glad to hear it,” he said in his deepest, most velvety voice.

It would have worked out perfectly as a seductive move if it hadn’t immediately been followed by a rather undignified squeak. 

“Miss Fisher!” he protested, flustered, as he took a step backwards. “That was my arse you were pinching.”

“I just couldn’t help myself,” Phryne answered with a sly grin.

Jack assessed her for a moment, before he bent down so he could lift her – against her laughing protests – and carry her to the bed, where he dropped her unceremoniously.

“If that’s the game you’re playing, Miss Fisher…” he said, climbing up on the bed after her.

She rose to her knees and captured his face in both her hands.

“With you, Jack,” she started, before giving him a soft, slow kiss, “I’m happy to play all the games.”

He let his eyes flicker between her eyes and her lips, before he at last leaned forward to properly crush his lips against hers. She opened her mouth to him, and he dove into it, feeling his heart expand as his tongue explored her. Finally, they were here – at a place he had doubted they ever would be. Phryne Fisher was kissing him like he was the most important man in the world. Her hands roamed his back and came up into his hair, deliberately messing it up and letting the curls free. He allowed his own hands to do the same, feeling the softness of her black strands between his fingers. 

He groaned into her mouth, and it was like the sound ignited the room – Phryne started to unbutton his waistcoat and shirt, impatiently dragging the shirt up to free it from his trousers, and letting her hands briefly dip down beneath the waistband. 

Jack broke off the kiss and looked at her as she caressed him, watching the softness of her eyes follow her hands’ movements over his chest. She carefully touched the white scars on his stomach, a reminder of the war they’d both been part of. She flicked her eyes up to meet his and he could see they were blank, as if tears were starting to form in them. 

His hand found her cheek again, so he could caress it.

“I love you, Phryne,” he whispered. 

“More than anything,” she whispered back. 

**

The next morning, they woke late and didn’t manage to leave the bed. 

They had so much time to make up for, so many missed chances, and so many things they wanted to try. He dove under the cover to properly explore her, making her gasp at the flick of his tongue. She took him in her mouth, delighting in the sounds he made, before she kissed him deeply and planted herself in his lap, riding him into oblivion. It was like an explosion of intimacy and caresses, after the restrictions they had been under for so long. 

Her lithe body moving over him was like heaven; her cheeky grin as she explored every inch of his skin was all he’d ever dreamed of.

They lay on the bed, panting and sated, when Jack’s stomach rumbled.

He grimaced, damning his body’s betrayal, but Phryne immediately perked up.

“You need food, Jack!” she said. “We should go out into the city.”

“Perhaps just another moment?” he said as he reached out to catch her again in his arms; he wasn’t ready to leave the warmth and comfort of her body pressed to his just yet.

But neither his stomach nor Phryne Fisher was having none of it.

“I’m not going to be responsible for you starving to death,” she said as she untangled herself. 

A while later, they were both showered and dressed and headed out into London. Phryne found them a bakery that served exquisite quiches. As they ate, Jack couldn’t help but grin widely, feeling so at ease with the woman at his side.

“We should head over to Brown’s and check on Lucifer when we’re done,” Phryne said, a small piece of parsley stuck in the corner of her mouth.

Jack reached out to wipe it off, and then grunted.

“Do you really think he’s there? He doesn’t strike me as a man sitting at home rolling his thumbs.”

“True,” she said with a smile. “He’s much more likely to have found someone to spend the time with.”

Jack contemplated her over his plate.

“He’s a curious man. How do you actually know him?”

“Curious, but also very sweet, isn’t he? Oh, we don’t know each other that well, he’s just an _old friend._ ” She emphasised the last words deliberately, rolling her eyes at Jack’s playful frown. “We met at a club. It was after the war, after René, and Lucifer helped put me back together a little. Reminding me of all the fun and joy to be had in life. I learned a lot from him.” 

Jack looked down at his plate, contemplating his feelings. He felt the old pang of jealousy over Phryne’s conquests, like he always did, but it was much milder than usual. Was it because she was now his, in some sense of the word? _More than anything_ – her words the night before echoed in his memory, making heat pool in his stomach. Or was it because he too knew Lucifer Morningstar, and could understand something of the attraction she must have felt? Or was it because Lucifer was so unapologetically himself, and Jack couldn’t imagine him ever feeling possessive about a woman he’d been with? Jack suddenly felt like he wanted to learn to be more like the other man.

“There is something with him, isn’t there?” Phryne said, deep in thought. “Like there’s a profound depth beneath his playful surface, but you can never really access it?”

Jack nodded. That was a good description of it.

“He’s… you can see how much enjoyment means to him. Like he’s usually not allowed to be particularly happy,” he said.

He remembered how the man had lit up when he got to play the piano, like it was a gift bestowed upon him.

“He told me he’d never seen the war, but really, he was behaving like a war veteran,” Phryne added.

“I can’t explain why, but I really liked him,” Jack said, sighing. “I also think he may have made young Charlie Bingman finally decide on what to pursue in life. Which is not a small feat.” He smiled, remembering how the young man had tried to be stealthy about what he’d been up to, but Jack had read him like an open book.

“I suppose we should go check on him,” Jack concluded. 

Before he could rise, Phryne caught him and gave him a long, lingering kiss on the mouth. Then she rose and put on her coat.

“What was that for?” Jack asked, slightly breathless and very aware of the inappropriateness of the action in a bakery. 

“I just felt like it. And now, whenever I feel like it, I can act on it, can’t I?” Phryne said with a smile, before bouncing on. “Come now, let’s go to the hotel.”

Jack followed her out the door. Of course, he did – he would follow her anywhere.

**

When Phryne had left him in the hotel foyer, Lucifer climbed the stairs to his room, opening the door into a lush two-room suite with everything he could ever ask for. He noticed the drink cart placed tastefully to one side in the parlour, checked the view from the window, and tried the mattress of the bed with his hand. It was very soft, and the sheets were smooth and luxurious. This would be an excellent head quarter, for as long as he could stay. He took off his clothes and entered the shower, feeling the warm water and the soap caress his body. Such a luxury; so much more comfortable that the cabin on the steamer, or his palace in Hell. Not that it was all bad, it was just… not made for creaturely comforts. 

The room couldn’t hold his interest for too long, though; he dressed again and decided to go for a walk. He strolled through the crowds of Mayfair, basking in the pulse of the city and how easily he could blend in. No one saw him as different here, no one followed him or tried to force him to do anything he didn’t want to. Now and then, people would turn around to admire him – he was rather striking, after all – but he’d never had a problem with that kind of attention. He just smiled and raised an eyebrow at them. 

He walked fast, enjoying being able to really use his body after the slightly cramped time on the boat. This was it – the urban feeling of crowds that had nothing in common with his demons assembling. This was human order, human design, human faces, and the air was – despite the autumn gloom – refreshing. He had missed this, so much. The last couple of times he’d visited Earth he’d been in rural areas. This was after that time in Paris, where he’d met Phryne – and it was so unusual for him to ever meet his humans again, the thought of her made him shudder of delight. The visits to the countryside had been nice, but it was here – in the city – he really felt at home. The way you could surf on the surface, trying things on for a while and then move forward. The lights of the city. The anonymity of the masses, the possibility of meeting new people. The way the city took away the feeling of loneliness.

He headed north and turned into the busy Oxford street, after a while finding himself in front of Selfridges. He knew of it – the humans finding ingenious ways for selling and indulging in things – and on a whim he went inside. Soon, he found himself trying on suits in the department for men’s fashion. He was tired of the gifted suit that didn’t really fit him. He chose black and blue instead, and waistcoats, shirts, and shoes to go with them. One of them he put on immediately, charming the man helping him to send the bill to his hotel address, together with the extra suit.

Feeling more like himself, happy about the way the suit fitted him, he passed the streets into Hyde Park. He even walked by the Speaker’s Corner to listen for a while, but the human affairs were too ridiculous to be of interest. He passed the lake and came out on the other side of the park. Soon enough, he was back at the hotel, and sat down in the hotel bar. He ordered wine and spent his time chatting with people, hearing what they were up to in London, flirting in all directions; in the end, he brought a beautiful woman to his room. She was a lovely acquaintance, keeping him busy and then offering a solid warmth in his bed during the night. The morning after, he ordered her breakfast in bed. He didn’t say goodbye until they'd had time for another round. 

As she’d left, a delighted smile on her face – which was just what he’d strived for – Lucifer sat down in one of the armchairs in the parlour. He was considering what to do. What kind of delight should he put his mind to, while he had the chance? He was sure there were illegal clubs to explore, and an abundance of interesting people too. He would start with pouring himself a drink, he decided, but just as he rose to do that, there was a rustle at the window. Without even looking that way, he knew who his visitor was. 

“Hello, brother,” he said testily. “Come to fetch me already? You wouldn’t let a man enjoy London for a while first?”

“You have been away too long already, Lucifer,” Amenadiel said.

“One drink for the road?” Lucifer tried.

“No,” Amenadiel said.

Lucifer sighed. So, he wouldn’t get to keep his promise to say goodbye before leaving Phryne. This was far from the first time his visits had ended unsatisfactory. How many women had he just disappeared on, sometimes in the middle of the act? Hurting them, or making them thoroughly disappointed? Always the one bringing pain to others. Lucifer shook his head at the thought; no use to go down that particular memory lane.

“No? Too zealous for even the smallest break. Have you ever even tasted alcohol, brother?”

“I said no, there will be no drink for the road, because there is no road. You cannot go back yet.”

Lucifer scoffed.

“Really? Make up your mind, Amenadiel.”

“You’ve been away too long, and a demon has managed to leave Hell. You have to find it.”

“That’s preposterous. Demons can’t leave hell on their own. It must have had help.”

Amenadiel looked away then, his guilt obvious, but he quickly recovered himself.

“It seems it may have found a way to follow me,” he conceded. “You know they can follow angels’ paths if they’re very quick. And you weren’t there to stop them.”

“You didn’t hide your path, brother?” Lucifer mocked him, gleeful. “That was highly foolish of you.”

“It’s all your fault, Luci. If I hadn’t had to fly down to verify that you had escaped again, I wouldn’t even have been there.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes.

“Always find a way to pin it on me. How lucky that you always seem to be without blame.”

“Cease your whining, little brother,” Amenadiel said. “The demon not only escaped in my path, it is also here, in London. You have to find it and bring it back to Hell.”

Lucifer met his gaze for a long time, stubbornly, before finally relenting. 

“Fine. Who is it?”

“What do you mean, who?”

“Which demon?”

“How should I know? They all look the same. I just know of its presence through the way my path was used.”

“They’re not the same! We have fierce demons, stupid demons, dangerous demons, lecherous demons, loyal demons, treacherous demons, helpful demons, even a few sweet ones, though no one could ever imagine that. There’s a hell of a difference if it’s stupid Squee, stealthy Belial, or lethal Aamon.” 

Amenadiel sighed. 

“It’s just a demon. You have to find it and bring it back.”

“Why don’t you do it yourself?”

“The demons are your subjects, Lucifer. They are your problem.” Amenadiel paused. “Also, you’re the most used to handle them. I find them rather… repulsive. You have one week, or I will be forced to send Michael on you.”

Lucifer hesitated; he knew there was no way he could win this, but he certainly wasn’t about to make it too easy for his brother.

“I can’t see what’s in it for me,” he said.

“There is nothing in it for you but duty, although you’ve hardly encountered that concept, of course,” Amenadiel said. 

That stung, that his brother didn’t see how Lucifer’s whole life was _nothing_ but duty. Ruling the place that he was thrown down to, solving troubles between demons, stopping riots and overt violence, keeping Hell functional, meeting out punishments that were equal to the crime and guilt. Nothing of that was enjoyable, even if Lucifer did his best to make it at least slightly fun, despite it all. 

But all Amenadiel saw was the few times Lucifer escaped to have a little bit of pleasure, seeking out the opposite to Hell: human companionship, luxury, sensual pastimes, short moments of bliss. All he saw was Lucifer’s _reactions_ to being exiled and punished, he never saw the punishment and how it threatened to eat out his soul. Amenadiel understood nothing, and he was incredibly righteous in his ignorance.

But Lucifer didn’t say anything; there was no use. They had been at this charade for millennia, and his brother showed no sign of caring about Lucifer’s perspective. Lucifer went to the drink cart and poured himself a drink instead.

“The demon needs to be caught,” Amenadiel continued. “We cannot leave it on Earth. You know this, you know how lethal it could be. The danger it poses to the humans you claim to ‘like’. And it would never have escaped if you had been down in Hell behaving like the king you’re supposed to be.” 

Amenadiel’s voice had grown steadier, as if he’d finally managed to convince himself it was all Lucifer’s fault. Lucifer breathed heavily; the intensity between them so strong you could have cut it with a knife.

“Oh, hello,” a voice said from the door, and both angels jumped at the unexpected sound. “Sorry to barge in like this. We heard voices; is this man troubling you, Lucifer?”

In the door frame stood none other than Phryne Fisher, dressed in blue and with a beret sporting a feather jauntily on the side, her head cocked to the side. Behind her was the solid presence of her Inspector. They were both eyeing the intruder.

“I know you,” Phryne said. “You came for Lucifer in Paris, too.” Phryne turned to the devil. “Your brother. He’s come to find you again?”

Jack looked sceptical behind her, glancing at Lucifer’s reaction before again setting his eyes firmly on the stranger.

Amenadiel’s mouth hung open. Lucifer could see he had no idea how to deal with humans this close by, and this determined. They didn’t seem the least intimidated by his size and sternness.

The angel collected himself and stopped time, freezing the two humans at the door.

“What is this, Lucifer? Are humans just walking in on you?”

“Well, technically it is her suite, as she set me up here and pays for it. It does only seem fair,” Lucifer said.

“This is highly irresponsible. The divine and the mundane shouldn’t blend.”

Lucifer sighed.

“Oh, come now, brother, not that old song again. Also, you’ve already met. Don’t you recognise Phryne Fisher?”

For the first time since he arrived, Amenadiel looked interested. 

“I’ve met her before?”

“Yes, look at her. She was ten years younger, Earth time, and had longer hair. It was in Paris. We were in bed when you rudely interrupted us.”

Amenadiel walked closer to look at Phryne. 

“She was a bit cheeky, wasn’t she? A bit like you.” He paused for a second. “I like her hair better this way.”

“Amenadiel having a fashion sense – the skies must be falling,” Lucifer mocked him. 

Then he turned towards the frozen humans, frowning.

“She is also a lady detective now. And her friend is a detective inspector. Actually,” he said with a contemplative look, “they may be exactly what we need. Humans to help us navigate the human world while we investigate the lost demon.”

Amenadiel looked from the humans to his brother.

“Don’t imagine I will help you with this, Luci. I’m heading back to the Silver City. This is your task.”

Lucifer looked at him, as always hurt by his brother’s dismissive tone, but equally loathe to ever let it show.

“All the more reason to have partners helping out, then,” Lucifer said. 

“But they’ll have no chance against a demon.”

“That’s why I’ll be around at all times. I am not letting anything harm Phryne Fisher, I assure you,” he said, contemplating the two humans, “and not Jack Robinson either. Do you want the demon caught – and your idiocy in letting it trail behind you erased?”

Amenadiel looked like he didn’t like it one bit, but also like he didn’t have any better suggestions.

“Alright. I will allow this,” he said at last. “You will search for the demon and find it within the week.”

The angel released time again, and the two humans flinched.

“What?” Jack asked, dazed, and pointed to the right. “Wasn’t he there just now?”

Phryne narrowed her eyes and looked at Amenadiel, but she didn’t say anything.

The angel spoke first.

“I have to be on my way. Goodbye, brother,” he said. He hesitated as he turned to the two humans. “It was… nice. Meeting you,” he finally said.

He moved towards the door, hesitant to approach the humans too quickly. Phryne and Jack stepped aside to let him pass, and he made it into the corridor before turning around.

“Remember what I said, Luci. And no funny business.”

“Yes, yes, brother,” Lucifer answered. “No need to rub it in.”

When his brother was gone – far enough so he could fly away without anyone noticing, Lucifer presumed – both Jack and Phryne turned to look at him expectantly.

“What was that about?” Jack asked, at the same time as Phryne exclaimed, “He calls you Luci?”

Lucifer looked at them and snorted.

“He has that annoying habit, yes,” he answered, downing the rest of his drink.

“I don’t know,” Phryne smiled, titling her head as she looked at him. “I quite like it.”

Lucifer turned to Jack. 

“I will tell you what that was about, Inspector,” he said. “But I think I need another drink first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up the idea that a demon could use an angel's trace to exit Hell. I found it a neat detail for this story, where I needed to let a demon travel to Earth.


	2. Fellow Sleuths in London

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio continue their sleuthing in London. How do you search for a demon in a big city? And who is it that managed to escape Hell?
> 
> Also, Happy Holidays to everyone!

Phryne was immediately suspicious about the so-called brother showing up. She also didn’t care for the look on Lucifer’s face – instead of his usual _joie de vivre_ and energy, he looked defensive. Almost shut down. 

He needed some perking up, she decided.

“I see you’ve got a new suit, and one that actually fits you,” she said, allowing her eyes to slowly and deliberately roam over the figure he cut. “I like it.”

Lucifer smiled delightedly. 

”I went to a store – the whole process was much quicker than these things used to be. It makes me feel better.”

“Black is a great colour on you,” Phryne said.

She caught Jack’s eyes – he was not really glowering at her, but still obviously a little sensitive about her using her smoothest voice on Lucifer.

“You look dashing together,” she said to include him in the compliment. “I quite like the idea of one man in black and one in grey by my side.”

“Anytime, darling,” Lucifer purred, already conquering his malaise. “And you know I don’t mind a double act.” He winked, making Jack turn a little red at the insinuation.

“We all need a stiff drink,” Phryne exclaimed. “And I know just the place.”

Half an hour later, they found themselves at a fashionable bar. They sat down in a secluded alcove that allowed for talking while not diminishing the rhythm of the music and the crowd in the slightest. The place was decorated in shades of gold, black and red, its layout utterly modern. They sat around a small table in a sofa forming a half circle, Phryne in the middle. She had ordered a pitcher of sangria and they were sipping it contentedly.

“Now, tell us what’s going on, Lucifer,” Phryne said. “Are you in trouble?”

She could see Lucifer’s eyes turning soft at the question.

“No more than usual. This is my natural habitat.”

“There was something wrong with that man,” Jack interjected.

“He’s my brother, the eldest of us. Far too angelic for his own good.”

“Your brother. That’s… unusual,” Jack said.

“Last time I thought he might be your bodyguard, but I’m willing to believe you have a brother like that,” Phryne said. Swirling her drink, she looked into his eyes. “So, he didn’t take you away this time.”

“He didn’t.” Lucifer looked down at his own hands. “He needed me to do something first.”

“Oh?” Phryne asked, her interest piqued. “Is there something we can help you with?”

Lucifer looked at the pair. 

“There may be. But I wonder if it’s a good idea to include humans in this. It’s not an easy task.”

“Well, nothing that matters is easy,” Jack said. “A wise woman once told me that.”

Phryne smiled at him, and at the memory of their first nightcap together. She gazed at him now, taking in how beautiful he was leaning on the sofa, looking all delicious as he listened intently, absorbing everything Lucifer said so he could act on it later. That was her Inspector, always ready to help a person wronged, or a person in trouble. Her heart swelled at the thought. 

Lucifer continued.

“It seems that I have misplaced one of my demons. They shouldn’t be roaming freely on Earth; that can be potentially dangerous for many people. My brother gave me a week to find it. And then he’ll be back… to drag the demon – and me – to Hell again.”

Jack and Phryne shot a glance at each other before turning back to Lucifer. _Later. We’ll discuss the demonic part later,_ Jack’s glance said. Phryne agreed.

“Do you… want to go back to Hell?” Phryne asked.

Lucifer looked at her, before he shook his head.

“Never. But I don’t have a choice. I was banished there.” He paused, and Phryne saw a flicker of hurt flash across his face. “I enjoy coming up here now and then. It keeps me sane. But I know where I’ll inevitably end up.” 

His voice was matter of fact. Phryne wanted to protest, to say nothing is ever inevitable, but decided to hold her tongue.

“But you still want to find this person? Even though it would mean that you have to go back?”

Lucifer smiled. 

“I see what you’re trying to say. But yes, I need to find the demon. We can’t allow it to roam around and wreak havoc on Earth. Demons are… well, they aren’t quite as bad as they’re made out to be. Just like the Devil.” He smiled one of his self-conscious smiles, as if he wanted to say, _‘Just look at me, I’m not that bad, now, am I?’_ Phryne could only concur. He continued. “But there are some demons that are violent, and they don’t usually understand the concept of mercy.”

Jack cleared his throat.

“So, is this a missing person case? We can help with that. But don’t you want to take it to the police? I mean, the proper police, the ones who actually have jurisdiction here.”

“I can’t go to the police and report a missing demon,” Lucifer said.

“Right,” Jack amended. “I suppose not.” He paused for a few seconds, and then visibly shook himself out of his thoughts. “Do we have a description of this person?”

“Amenadiel didn’t know who it was that escaped. He can’t really discern between demons. He doesn’t know them the way I do.”

“So, no description?” Phryne interjected.

Lucifer moved his hands as if to conjure up an image, like a magician. 

“They probably look human, but with an odd twist. Darkly clad, strong, walking a bit like a panther. Unless they’re rather just scrambling along awkwardly. But no, we don’t have a description.”

“Where was the demon last seen?”

“We don’t know. Amenadiel sensed it following him, so it should be here in London.”

“That’s not really a lot to go on,” Jack said.

“If I’m close to the demon, I’ll be able to smell it, if that’s any help.” Lucifer downed his glass and refilled it with generous amount of drink. “Are you sure you want to help?”

“I specialise in homicide, but I have done a fair share of missing people and kidnaps too,” Jack said. 

“Versatile – I like it,” Lucifer purred, his smile suggestive. To Phryne’s amusement Jack blushed.

They bent their heads together, trying to draw up a plan, throwing suggestions on what could be done and which places would need to be investigated into the mix. The bartender came with a new pitcher of sangria and a bowl of nuts. The whole operation sounded like quite the challenge, Phryne concluded, but it certainly didn’t sound boring.

“So,” Lucifer finally said when a plan of action had finally formed. “There’s nothing much to do until tomorrow. The night is young. Whatever should we do?” There was a spark in his eyes, and he looked positively gleeful. “How about the three of us…”

Phryne stopped him.

“We should head home. We still haven’t really caught up on those months apart.”

“That’s fair,” Lucifer said, a knowing smile on his lips. ”So, see you tomorrow, then.” 

Phryne and Jack walked back to the flat, enjoying a view of night-time London. 

Once home, Phryne poured them a glass of water each and they sat on the large, plush sofa in the parlour. After a while Phryne moved closer, laying her head on Jack’s shoulder. He was warm and solid beneath her. He put his arm around her shoulder, holding her to him.

“Do you mind that we have a case, now that you’re on vacation?” she asked.

Jack thought for a while, before answering.

“Not really. I love working with you. Even if I also love doing other things with you.” His voice had turned dark in that way that made Phryne shiver.

“Oh, you do, don’t you?”

“Positively,” he answered, sporting one of his almost imperceptible smiles, quoting the popular song. “Absolutely, and how.”

“Maybe we should try more of that, then”, Phryne replied. “For practice.”

She took the glass from his hand and put it down on the sideboard together with her own. Then she turned to face him fully. She leaned forward to press her lips to his, very carefully, almost without touching, making him whimper with the softness in her kiss. She retreated an inch.

“Birds do it, bees do it,” she breathed against his lips.

He drew back so he could watch her properly, to see what she was putting into those words. She knew her eyes were far too soft to not give away her feelings, but she didn’t care.

“So, let’s do it?” he asked.

Phryne leaned in so her forehead touched his.

“Yes, let’s do it,” she smiled. 

She rose, holding out her hand to him to aid his rise too. 

Jack came willingly.

**

The next day, Phryne was all energy and enthusiasm right from the start. 

As soon as she woke, she pressed a kiss to Jack’s lips, allowing her hand to slowly caress his chest and stomach while her mouth was otherwise busy. He opened his eyes, smiling at the wonder of waking up in this fashion, of being allowed to wake up like this. 

“Morning,” he breathed.

“Morning, Jack. And what a splendid morning it is.”

She rose to pull away the curtains from the window, only to be met by a drizzling, dark November day.

“Perhaps not in weather,” she amended her previous statement. ”But the outlook is still very exciting.”

Jack looked at her, feeling so at ease it almost hurt. She was standing there by the window, in the nude, completely unaware of how unusual a sight it may have been for him. Her eyes were sharp and eager as she watched him, her head tilting to the side.

“What?” he asked, when he finally realised that she expected a response.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I think the morning is splendid?”

He smiled at her antics.

“Alright, why is it?” he said.

“Because I get to wake up with a beautiful man in my bed, and then I get to solve a mystery.”

His smile turned cheeky.

“Has London been such a drought without me?” 

“As a matter of fact, it has. Spending time with my parents, not having any police connections or sudden murders around – and no lovers to take off the edge.” 

Her face looked soft as she said it, no hint of reproach visible. Jack’s breath caught and he untangled from the sheets, rising to stand before her. Equally nude, without a care in the world.

“Is that so?” he asked, his voice still husky with sleep.

“It is,” she replied, stroking her hair away from her eyes to watch him intently – as if she wanted to see all and nothing but him.

He reached out his hand to catch hers and brought it up to his lips, never breaking eye contact.

“Even lazy jellyfish do it,” he said tentatively.

“Even them,” she said, laugh lines appearing around her eyes. “So, who am I to escape?”

He took a step forward and kissed her then, long, strong, and slow. Devouring her as if it was the only thing he wanted to do in his life. He felt his body react to her proximity, he heard her moan into his kiss, but after slowly extricating herself, it seemed Phryne had other plans.

“As much as I love a morning tryst –” her eyes grew darker at her words “– I really think we should put ourselves together. There’s a missing person to find, after all.”

“Or, well, demon,” Jack said with a smile.

“Let’s just decide to go for the person angle for now, shall we?” Phryne said. “It does seem to make everything simpler.” 

They showered quickly, Phryne only peeking in to derail Jack once. After dressing and a quick breakfast, they went to the Brown’s, struggling through the wind. 

They found Lucifer in his room. It didn’t look like he had had any sleep – he was still in the same suit, but the waistcoat was missing and the shirt not properly tucked in. His black hair stood on all ends. He sat in the parlour of the suite, at a table stacked with disordered heaps of newspapers, maps, and other documents.

“Good morning,” Phryne said as they sat down around his table. 

“Is it?” Lucifer challenged, still deep in whatever he was looking at.

“Morning, definitely. Whether it’s good may be more of a personal view,” Jack replied, tilting his head.

Then he bent over the table to fish up a map of London. It was filled with doodles and arrows.

“Is this…?” Jack started, but Lucifer interrupted him.

“A map of where I’ve been looking already,” Lucifer said.

“What, you’ve already been to all these places?” Jack asked, incredulous. “That is a large chunk of London.”

“I don’t need to sleep as much as humans do,” Lucifer said. Jack exchanged a doubtful look with Phryne but didn’t say anything. “So, I decided to use the night to go searching and see if I could sense the demon. Of course, it may be moving, but I should have been able to pick up a scent even some time after it’s been somewhere.”

“And did you sense anything?” Phryne asked.

“Nothing so far. Which narrows the area down somewhat, even if there are still several places to go.” 

Lucifer started shuffling through his stack and Phryne leaned forward to put a hand on his.

“One thing at the time, Lucifer. Go have a shower and set yourself to rights. We’ll look through your evidence while you do.”

Lucifer looked like he wanted to protest, before he closed his mouth and nodded.

“That sounds like a plan,” he said. 

He rose and unbuttoned his shirt, throwing it over the chair. His bare torso was pale and very inviting, his movements lithe as a cat’s. Jack threw a glance Phryne’s way – she was rather ogling him. Lucifer started to undo his trousers, showing no sign of undergarments whatsoever.

“Perhaps you should continue this in the bedroom?” Jack interrupted.

Lucifer looked down at his own hands, and then at Jack.

“Apologies,” he smiled, looking anything but apologetic. “It seems I can get a bit careless from lack of sleep.” He threw them an amused look, sauntering into his bedroom.

Phryne and Jack looked at each other, before bursting out in laughter. The nerve of that man, Jack thought, then he turned serious again, setting his mind to the case. 

“I’m not sure how to evaluate Lucifer’s pursuit,” he said. “Is his ability to sense a person a reasonable way to narrow the search down?”

Phryne looked at the map. There were markings all over the city and to the west. She followed them with her fingers, trying to figure out a pattern. Had Lucifer really managed to cover all this ground in just one night? Parts of the city centre were still unmarked, as well as some areas to the north. Jack watched Phryne as she was thinking; he could practically hear her mind churning.

“It does sound outlandish,” she finally said. “But the whole case rests on Lucifer and what he needs to do and find. So perhaps we should work within that? If we have no luck for a couple of days, we can go back to doing this the police way.”

Jack grunted in acknowledgement.

“I suppose that’s fair,” he said. 

When Lucifer returned – his hair wet and his outfit perfectly put together – Jack spoke again.

“I still think we should look at motivation. Even if this is a hunt for a demon.” He paused to see Lucifer’s reaction, but the other man just looked like Jack was talking perfect sense. “And even if we don’t have access to any registries or other police resources, there are still many investigative techniques that can help.”

Lucifer looked at him, curious.

“Oh?”

“Why is the demon here? What is it after, and can we narrow down places that would be most likely for it to show up at?”

Lucifer looked thoughtful, which was a very good look on the man. As much as he was charming when he smiled, a contemplative Lucifer had an altogether other and more graceful air. _And now I am reviewing the man’s looks instead of thinking about the search. Back to the case, Robinson._

“That’s the thing, I can’t really see a reason for a demon to come up here. In the old days, they would pop up to possess people sometimes, to put fear and loathing among the humans. But I banned that ages ago, after an unfortunate incident in the 17th century.”

Lucifer strode to the window and looked out onto the street.

“No more scaring humans senseless while they’re still alive. The demons get their fair share with the people condemned to Hell, and they must be content with that. _This_ demon, though,” he said, rubbing his eyes and nose. “it is very stealthy, and clever. Not many demons could follow an angel’s trace without giving themselves away. Or even know that you _can_ follow a trace like that in the first place. Oh –”

Jack and Phryne looked at Lucifer, and the way a realisation seemed to have suddenly dawned upon him.

“Yes?” Phryne encouraged.

“… there’s not that many demons that could achieve such a feat. Most wouldn’t know it, or they would be too clumsy. Really, it must be one of my top team of torturers. They are also the ones who know exactly when I’m around, so they’d know that no one would be there to stop them.”

“So, someone close to you?” Jack said, sensing a lead. “Why would the demon want to go to Earth, anyway? Do you think it wants to scare or hurt people?”

Lucifer turned towards him, away from the window. 

“I can’t see why it’d want to hurt people so badly that it’d go to all this trouble. There must be something else.”

“If the demon is not out to harm people in general, could there be a specific person it’s after?” Jack asked. “Or something it wants?”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Lucifer replied. “Demons don’t really care all that much about humans anyway. They just see the souls as playthings. And they know everyone will come down to join us eventually anyway, if they’re hell-bound.”

“If they don’t care about humans, how about… you? Could the demon be after you?” Phryne asked.

Lucifer looked contemplative again.

“It might, but I wouldn’t know why, and it should already have found me. It’s not like I’m hiding.”

Jack felt like they ought to be able to push further, but it seemed they couldn’t manage. They were stuck in this line of pursuit, so he decided to try another angle.

“Alright, how about this. Since you’re the Devil here” – Jack’s comment made Lucifer beam at him – “you’re the person who is most likely to think like a demon. If you were clever enough to use this escape route, and you found your way to London, what would catch your fancy? Where would you go?” 

They all looked down at the pile of newspapers, the large headlines talking about mundane human enterprises and petty crimes. Phryne grabbed an issue and started scanning its pages. Lucifer and Jack followed her lead, taking one issue each.

“What are we even looking for?” Lucifer complained. “Possible effects of the harvest on the economy?” He gesticulated at a page. “Or news about the three-year-old royal princess Elizabeth?”

“Look at this!” Phryne said, ignoring his complaints and pointing at something at the bottom of a page.

Lucifer moved so he could watch over her shoulder.

“Look at what? That’s just some advertisement.”

Jack grabbed the paper so he could see it too.

“There is nothing ‘just’ about advertisements. We’ve found murderers via a ten-line ad in the ‘Personal’ section. And murderers’ motivations through an advertisement of a competition. There’s a whole world there, in the small print of a newspaper,” he said.

Then he paused.

“But I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking for?”

Phryne put her slender finger down on one of the bigger advertisements.

“The Tower of London?” Jack said, bemused.

“Not just the tower, the _museum_ of the tower. It’s a place where humans have been imprisoned, and tortured, and executed for ages. Don’t you think that would catch the fancy of a head torturer from Hell?” 

Lucifer looked at her, bewildered. 

“The demon would go on a tour?”

“You said demons never get to be on Earth. Wouldn’t it want to learn about it as much as possible? There are many museums that could be interesting, but maybe they would go for the one exhibiting the bloodiest history?”

“Wouldn’t they rather want to, I don’t know, go and have a drink?” Lucifer suggested.

Phryne shot him a look.

“Would they be able to do that without scaring people to death?”

“Well, if they master their glamour properly, they should be.”

“There are many bars, but only one Tower of London. It’s worth to look into,” Jack decided. “Let’s grab a taxi.”

As soon as they exited the taxi at the Tower, Lucifer started to sniff, as if he was trying to impersonate a dog. Despite the bad weather, he seemed to be able to discern what he needed.

“Yes, definitely demon scent,” he said. “You were right, Miss Fisher.”

Phryne beamed at him and grabbed his arm.

“Then let’s move on!”

But only a few meters on, Lucifer stopped. 

“The scent is getting weaker. The demon was here but has already left. This is the way it went.”

“Oh,” Phryne said, disheartened.

“Don’t look so disappointed,” Jack said. “This is the best lead we’ve had so far. Now we know there actually is a demon here – earlier we only had the tall black man’s word for it.”

“Amenadiel,” Lucifer corrected, but Jack ignored him.

“We now know the person is in London, and that he or she has taken an interest in the Tower of London. Which means your reasoning is sound, and we should check other important historical sites.”

As Jack went to hail a new taxi for them, the cold wind managed to take hold of Phryne’s cloche and send it under a parked car. Jack was just about to go there and kneel to retrieve it – already wondering if he could get at it without ruining his trousers – when he saw Lucifer approach the car, lift the vehicle with one hand and grab the offending garment with the other. Then he dropped the car so he could brush the dirt off the hat and hand it back to Phryne.

“What –” Phryne said, before she shut her mouth and accepted the offer.

She sent a glance Jack’s way. A few passers-by ogled them, but then continued on their way. Lucifer simply smoothed a hand down his front to set himself to rights, one hand automatically going to his wrist to adjust the sleeve of his shirt.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “Seems you cannot really trust the British weather.”

At that moment, a taxi stopped in front of them and Lucifer opened the door gallantly.

“After you, detectives,” he smiled with a little bow. 

“We’ll talk later,” Jack whispered to Phryne. Then he spoke louder, “Great save, Lucifer.”

“Take us to Trafalgar Square, please,” Phryne said to the driver.

In the car, unseeing eyes directed to the city passing by outside the window, Jack contemplated the other man and what he’d just seen. Was it a trick of the light? Had it perhaps only looked like Lucifer had inhuman strength? He tried to catch Phryne’s eyes, but she seemed equally lost in thought.

When they arrived at Trafalgar Square, they made their way through the crowd until they stood at the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery. 

“So, here we are,” Phryne said. She looked at Lucifer expectantly as he took a deep breath.

“Definitely a more recent scent,” he declared.

Phryne and Jack followed in Lucifer’s trail, walking through the museum. They were passing by fast enough to annoy the other visitors by not paying enough attention to the paintings. 

That was until Lucifer stopped by the portrait of Shakespeare.

“What, does this have something to do with _Shakespeare_?” Jack asked, curious and slightly aghast, but Lucifer shook his head.

“No, I’m sorry,” Lucifer replied. “I just couldn’t help but look at him.” He leaned in closer, scrutinizing the details of the work. “It’s a fairly good portrait. He looked more mischievous in real life, though.” 

Jack felt a shiver go through his body at the thought that Lucifer may have met Shakespeare for real. That the story about suggesting some jokes for Hamlet that he’d told on the ship might be true. But he pushed the thought away; this was not relevant to the case and he would just have to freak out about it later.

Phryne squeezed Lucifer’s shoulder briefly as she moved on. Jack watched Lucifer escape his enthrallment with Shakespeare and continue. He followed them.

They didn’t get far before Lucifer exclaimed, “This must have been its goal. The demon stayed in this room for quite some time.”

Jack looked around, seeing they were in the Tudor section of the gallery. Lucifer stopped in front of a dark portrait depicting a very broad-shouldered man. 

“This is the spot where the demon lingered.”

“Admiring Henry VIII?” Phryne asked.

“I am starting to form an idea,” Lucifer said. He walked a few metres to every side to check on the scent. “Yes, definitely here.”

Then he turned to his two detective partners.

“Henry VIII is a special case in Hell. He was a hard nut to crack, before we found a way to make his punishment proportional to his life.”

Jack shuddered at the thought; imagining old king Henry trapped there for eternity – it made Hell sound far too real. Of course, the man wouldn’t have made it to Heaven, considering the way he’d lived. The idea that he was rotting in Hell was still chilling.

“I had to put my best torturers on him, and one of them, well. She took it rather personally – the project to find a Hell-loop that fitted. It was… some of her best work.”

“So, you think this can be her?” Phryne prodded.

Lucifer nodded and turned to look at the square face of the pale 16th century king again.

“Oh, Mazikeen,” he said to himself, contemplatively, but loud enough that Jack and Phryne could hear. “My Maze. What are you up to?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs Jack and Phryne are quoting are “(Does she love me?) Positively – Absolutely” (1927) and Cole Porter’s “Let’s do it” (1928). The latter was written for the same musical as “Let’s Misbehave”, the song Phryne and Jack sing together in season 2. 
> 
> Also, thanks to letitflytoapril for pushing me to have Maze in the story - I like it all the better for it!


	3. Two Raven-Haired Flirts. Also, a Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The devil and the detectives are on the trail - but as they have to wait for opening hours, they might as well go and have dinner first. Flirting happens. Also sleuthing. And finally, we get to meet Maze!

Jack followed his fellow sleuths through the entire gallery, watching Lucifer move like a bloodhound, face alert as he scanned every room they passed. Although the demon had obviously been through a large part of the gallery, there was no place it had stayed as long as with the Tudors, and they found no other sign of it. They left the museum, feeling slightly elated.

“Since we’re here, perhaps we should check the National Gallery too?” Jack suggested.

Phryne nodded and they passed the square once more. 

There was a lingering scent, but it wasn’t as strong as in the Portrait Gallery. When they came back outside, the museum was about to close.

“All museums will be closing now. Why don’t we have some dinner and regroup?” Phryne suggested. “I think we need a proper break.”

She took them to a French restaurant nearby. The three of them sat down and ordered food and wine. Soon, the first course was served; Lucifer and Jack had settled for _confit de canard_ while Phryne had ordered snails. 

“This reminds me of the first time you had snails, Jack,” Phryne said with a smile. “Not one of your finest moments.”

“Are you thinking of me complaining about the food, or about me kissing you?” he asked, much bolder now than he used to be, not seeing the need for caution anymore.

“I thought you didn’t kiss me, Inspector. I thought you were just trying to protect me.” Phryne’s voice couldn’t hide how amused she was. “Are you finally choosing to come clean?”

Lucifer watched them as if they were the highest form of entertainment.

“I did do it to protect you,” Jack protested, but his heart wasn’t really in it. “Anything else was just an unexpected bonus.”

Phryne snorted. “It was a delightful display of what you were prepared to do for a case,” she said. 

“Or for you,” Jack countered, his voice turning serious.

“Please, this sounds like a story I need to hear in full,” Lucifer interjected, and Phryne happily indulged him. 

While the main course was served, she told him about that time at Café Repliqué, embellishing the story rather more than Jack thought it really merited. But he didn’t protest; he guessed she had a point when she said it was more than just a quick protection. He’d been so transparent, hadn’t he? To everyone but himself.

Lucifer was delighted by the story. His smile was so bright and suggestive that Jack could feel something warm pool in his stomach.

“A man of hidden passion, I see,” Lucifer purred. “I admit I am intrigued that he thought his male powers would affect you – and even more so that he was right.” 

He cast a suggestive glance at Phryne, who snorted. 

“Of course, he was – have you seen the man?” she said playfully. 

Jack knew he was blushing, but he decided to power through it, pretending he wasn’t. He hid behind a bite of the delicious food. 

“Jack Robinson is one of very few men I’ve met that are interested in me but struggle successfully against it,” Lucifer proclaimed.

Phryne just laughed.

“Well, that’s my last year and a half. I swear the man is a saint.”

“Until he isn’t, I presume?” Lucifer said, winking.

“Exactly!”

Jack cleared his throat, both stunned and amused by being talked of in this way. The two of them were delightful together, the conversation bouncing like a game of tennis – both so good at finding his weak spots, but also being rather generous about it. He eyed them, the way they were smiling at him, the one leaning on the table and the other stretched out with an arm leisurely set on the backrest. Both practically being temptation incarnate, if he was honest to himself.

“I’ve known a few saints,” Lucifer added. “Hidden passions indeed.”

Jack decided it was time to protest.

“I am not a saint! I’m just a… poor civil servant getting by as well as he can while being run over by charming freight trains.” He adjusted his tie a little while he talked. “You have no idea how hard it was... wait, no, not like that.” He blushed furiously while the two of them laughed.

“I’m sure it was _exactly_ like that,” Lucifer said.

Jack looked between them. Alright, he decided. Three can play this game, and he was not going to be branded the blushing virgin here. _Oh, who was he kidding, of course he was, he obviously didn’t stand a chance in this company._ But he could at least try.

“Well, within a day of meeting you both, I’d seen you dressed in a towel – or less,” he said.

Phryne laughed delightedly, “Oh, is that true? You naughty man, Lucifer.”

“Hey, I was being fished out of the ocean!” Lucifer protested. “I had to lose my garments so as not to be dragged down by the water. Do you have as good an excuse?”

“I was kidnapped, stripped, and put into a sauna to perish,” Phryne replied. “Jack saved me, and the Russian dancer who happened to be there, in the nude, with me.”

Lucifer looked her up and down and smiled broadly, raising his wine glass in a salute.

“I’m impressed, Miss Fisher. You may actually win this round.”

“I think we can all agree that _I_ am the one winning this round,” Jack stated, flatly.

They both turned to look at him, eyes wide, struck by the way he had entered their innuendo-laden repartee. Lucifer recovered first, leaning a little towards Jack.

“Is that so?” he asked, his voice dropping down several notches – Jack thought he could positively _feel_ the tone on his skin. “Then I hope you’re a good sport in victory.”

“I… erm,” Jack managed, not knowing what to say. 

Phryne came to his rescue.

“Poor Jack, we are teasing you too hard.” Lucifer snorted but let her continue. “Never mind us being silly, darling.”

She took a large bite of the food and moaned rather indecently; when the two men looked pointedly at her, she just shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

Jack breathed out heavily. He wasn’t sure when he’d had this much sensual stimuli in just one evening, and he wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with it.

“Perhaps we should change the subject,” Phryne said. She looked thoughtful while sipping her wine, and then turned to Lucifer. “Tell us more about the demon.”

Lucifer nodded, gracefully turning from pleasure to business. He tried to explain the way Mazikeen functioned, the way they had grown to become close allies, and her efficiency and joy in torturing a soul just the right way.

“She is very insistent that she isn’t too harsh or too lenient,” he concluded. “She wants the punishments to be… _fitting_. Sometimes she dares to challenge me when she thinks my decisions are wrong. She’s usually right, too.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Phryne said. “She sounds like your friend, an ally. A true professional. Why would she be out roaming the Earth, causing trouble? Do you think… do you think she may have come to protect you? Or to warn you?”

“From what? No one can hurt me; I’m quite invincible.”

Jack looked him square in the eyes, thinking of all the young, reckless lads he had seen in the war, and how they had thought that of themselves, too. Not infrequently, that was the last thing they had thought of at all.

“Nobody is invincible,” he said, with emphasis. “That delusion can hurt you even more than an enemy can.” 

Lucifer tilted his head, meeting his stern gaze.

“I suppose you’re right. There are entities that can hurt me – my siblings, demons, hell-forged weapons. My Father. Nothing on Earth can hurt me, if we put it that way.”

Jack nodded, accepting his amendment.

“So, if you aren’t likely to be hurt, and she’s not likely to think you are, maybe it’s not for protection. Maybe she just misses you?”

Lucifer snorted.

“Please. Maze is a demon, not a pet.”

“Anyway,” Phryne interjected. “I’d like for us to continue the museum tour tomorrow. I’ll think of sites that are bloody, and violent, and very notable. Oh, and – perhaps ancient history related?” She shot Jack a glance. “Think of Foyle and his obsession with Egypt. Perhaps that is something a demon could be interested in, too.”

Jack looked at Phryne, wondering how she would feel about seeing Egyptian artefacts again; or how he himself would feel, come to think of it. After he had rescued a limp Phryne from that almost-tomb, Jane trailing along after him, knowing they were all safe despite the horrors of that day, he’d had nightmares for weeks. Nightmares of being too late, of watching Foyle kill Phryne. Of managing to save Phryne, but not Jane, or the other way around. He’d taken care not to come close to Egyptian lore ever since.

“It is worth a shot,” he said finally.

Lucifer looked between them just as the server came in with dessert and coffee.

“Do you know you have an annoying habit of only saying things in half, because you already know what the other is about to say?”

Phryne looked at him and couldn’t help but smile at his petulance. 

“I told you about my sister when we met in Paris, I’m not sure if you remember.” 

“I remember,” Lucifer nodded. “I have an excellent memory.” 

“Well, I met her murderer, just last year. He managed to break out of jail.” She shuddered visibly at the thought. “I’ll give you the story over dessert. It’s not as fun as the previous one, but it’s definitely interesting.”

They dug into their crème brûlées as Phryne told Lucifer about Foyle and his obsession of Egypt, King Memses, and the four goddesses he wanted to recreate by murdering young girls. By the end of the story, Lucifer was furious. Jack wondered about the lighting of the place, and how it could make Lucifer’s eyes seem almost red for a moment. 

Lucifer was especially upset by the way Foyle thought he was enhancing someone else’s life by sacrificing them for his personal sake. 

“Thinking himself a god,” Lucifer spitted out. “That never leads to anything good.” 

He turned to Jack. 

“Is this man still alive?” 

His voice was very dark as he posed the question.

“He is in jail, but after his escape and the new murders he committed, he has been sentenced to hanging.”

“So, he’ll be down soon,” Lucifer said, his mouth morphing into a grim smile. “I’ll look forward to that.”

Both Phryne and Jack were silent for a while; Jack could feel a shiver go through his spine. Lucifer’s voice was quietly powerful – it wasn’t hard to believe he would be in the welcome committee for the man, and that justice would be thoroughly served.

Phryne reached out her hand and placed it over Lucifer’s.

“Thank you,” was all she said. Whether because she believed him, or because she appreciated the sentiment – Jack suspected it didn’t really matter.

“Anytime,” Lucifer said, before he visibly collected himself. “And anything.” He winked at Jack as he said it.

As they walked home from the restaurant, they parted from Lucifer at a crossroads, promising to come by early the next morning. Heading towards Marylebone, they sank into comfortable silence, Phryne catching Jack’s hand in hers as they walked. The easiness of the gesture made warmth bloom in his chest.

After a while Jack cleared his throat.

“I am thinking… do you think he might actually be the Devil?” 

He cast a glance at Phryne to see if she would dismiss his idea.

“I have been thinking the same thing,” she admitted. “It does kind of add up, doesn’t it? If we combine all the circumstantial evidence. He truly hasn’t changed at all in the past ten years. He’s far too strong, if you think of what he did today, retrieving my hat. He says all these odd things and they actually make sense, in their own way.”

“He just showed up in that ocean, and he was so light-hearted about it. There was never any sign of a shipwreck. And I wonder if I saw his eyes turn red just now.” He paused. “I couldn’t believe it when we were on the boat. But now, and when you saw all those things too...” 

Phryne was silent for a while.

“There were some things when we were in Paris, too. He scared that poor boy into an honest life, I am sure of it. His brother seemed to be able to just appear and disappear. Oh, and yes – do you remember yesterday? How it felt like the world just snapped, and then the brother was so much closer to us?”

“I did notice that,” Jack said. He shivered again; it had nothing to do with the cold night. “That was highly suspicious.”

“He sure has all the skills for it, right?” 

“He does,” Jack agreed. “But I can’t put my head around him being evil,” he added.

Phryne looked at him thoughtfully, as they turned into their street.

“Wouldn’t that be typical? If he is just slandered. Just think of how strong women have been depicted throughout the ages.”

“’Who prays for Satan’…”, Jack said contemplatively, thinking about Mark Twain’s famous comment, as he held up the front door for her. “Also, the way he mesmerises people…”

“He does mesmerise you, doesn’t he, Jack?” Phryne said.

Jack thought about it for a moment.

“Not more than someone else I know,” he finally conceded with a smile.

She smiled back at him, obviously proud of her achievement.

“He’s not just any ‘old friend’,” she finally said. “You know that thing that we did yesterday morning? You know with the… well, I learned it from him. He’s an amazing lover.”

Jack looked at her, a feeling of jealousy gripping his guts.

“Would you want to…” he asked, slowly, before he stopped.

“Would I want what?”

“Would you want to be with him again?”

“Yes,” she said, before she saw Jack turn slightly pink. “No, not alone! With you, of course, darling. As a joint thing. Otherwise I don’t want it.”

“Oh.” Jack looked at her, at a loss for words. He wasn’t used to thinking about these kinds of things. And the two of them together, with him… it sounded positively lethal.

“I’m sorry, Jack, I feel I have teased you far too much already today. It is you I want, no one else. I hope you know that, Inspector Robinson.”

He smiled at her as she put her hand on his cheek to caress it.

“I do know that, love,” he said. After a short pause, he added, “and don’t apologise, Miss Fisher. It only confuses me.”

She smiled at that. When he bent down to kiss her, she smiled even broader.

**

The next morning, the three of them headed to the British Museum. The two detectives were quite tense, Lucifer noticed. When they arrived at the courtyard in front of the large building, he put out his hand to stop the others. He could smell the scent of Hell quite clearly.

“Wait,” he said. “She may still be here – that’s a hell of a scent. Pun intended.” He threw them a smile and could see that his joke had helped defuse the tension at least a little. “We need a plan.”

“I want to go to the Ancient Egypt exhibition,” Phryne said. “I have a hunch about it.”

“Where is it?” Lucifer asked.

“It’s on the ground floor, so it makes sense to start there. We’ll just have to pass through a part of the Greek collection first.” At Lucifer’s questioning eyebrow, she added, “I used to come here a lot. And I was here only a week ago.”

“Alright,” Jack concluded. “Let’s head there first. We don’t want to split up since we need Lucifer around to both identify and handle the demon.”

Lucifer nodded. 

“It seems this is it, then.”

They walked in, politely nodding to the guards at the door before making a sharp turn. Phryne went first, Jack close on her heels. They were walking as silently as possible.

“There’s not really a reason to be stealthy,” Lucifer said. “If I can sense her, you can be sure that she can sense me. I practically reek of Hell.”

“Really?” Jack asked.

“Not to your human senses, of course. Only to our more superior ones.”

Phryne snorted. Lucifer thought she would be offended of his dismissal of humanity’s sensibilities, but she just tilted her head at him.

“That’s lucky for you. Otherwise no one would want to get close to you.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes.

“That’s not a problem I usually encounter.”

They reached the section of Ancient Egypt. Over-sized statues of gods shared the space with whole walls of stone and several mummies. And, in the middle of it, they saw a slim figure with long, dark hair, dressed in black leather. Her clothes were the Hell issued – odd-looking for modern London, but slightly less odd set against the backdrop of the exhibition. She had her back to them.

“Hello, Lucifer,” she said without turning around. “I’m surprised you managed to find me this fast. I thought I was being rather careful.”

“Oh, you were, my dear,” he said. “But I had some expert help to find the leads.”

Mazikeen whipped around, fast as a snake. 

“Amenadiel? How can you call that buffoon an expert –” She stopped in the middle of the sentence, noticing the extra company. “Humans?” she asked.

“Consorting with the humans, as they say,” Lucifer said, his smile bright. “Why are you here, Mazikeen? I’m sure it’s not because you were worried about me?”

Mazikeen looked surprised for a moment, before settling her face in a scowl.

“I wanted to check on you, to see why you took so long this time. I wouldn’t call it worrying exactly.” 

Her face slightly belied her statement, to Lucifer’s amusement. She had been worried! He could hardly believe it. 

“And Amenadiel was such an ass when he came down to check, I just snapped,” she continued. “I wanted to punish him by showing how easy it is to take advantage of him.”

“But you didn’t check on me?” 

“I was planning to,” she said, clearly evasive. “I just got occupied by some other things first.”

“You wanted to be here as long as possible, diving into humanity, weren’t you? You expertly avoided me so I wouldn’t force you back home.”

Mazikeen rolled her eyes in what was the closest to a concession she would ever come.

“Well, look who’s talking,” she replied.

“You paid a visit to good old Henry, I noticed.”

Mazikeen snorted.

“Ah, yes, the memories.” She looked at him with a slightly wistful smile. “You have been around, then.” 

Then Mazikeen obviously wanted to take charge of the conversation, so she turned to Lucifer’s companions. 

“And what do we have here,” she said, voice sultry. “You sure know how to pick the pretty ones.”

Lucifer could see Phryne visibly straightening herself. She smiled and took a step forward, reaching out her hand to the demon.

“I’m Phryne Fisher. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Mazikeen looked at the hand, then back at her face.

“Why would it be a pleasure?” she said, matter-of-factly.

“Manners, Mazikeen,” Lucifer growled. 

The demon set her jaw even more stubbornly. 

“I’m not here to be polite, Lucifer,” she said.

“Then why are you here?” 

Mazikeen hesitated. 

“You won’t like it,” she said.

“I have that feeling too,” Lucifer agreed.

He was slowly inching forward to get closer to her. She saw what he was up to and kept her eyes on him, moving away as he was closing in. They both knew that Lucifer would win a fight between them, but also that Mazikeen would stoop to anything to keep her ground. And they were in a public space, which was more of a hindrance to him than to her. 

Lucifer also had the human companions he wanted to keep safe. He managed to steer Mazikeen further away from them, so that they could, at least partly, be out of harm’s way. He saw Phryne and Jack exchange a meaningful glance before they turned back to the two dark-haired people sizing each other up.

“I need to get into one of these sarcophagi,” Mazikeen finally said. “There is something I need to do.”

“I will not allow you to tamper with human remains,” Lucifer said, his eyes flashing red for a moment, which gave the demon pause. 

She glanced at the humans, obviously surprised they didn’t cower in fear. And she had a point, of course, why _didn’t_ they cower in fear? Lucifer threw a glance their way, seeing their highly concentrated faces as they followed the movements, no sign of terror or of losing their minds, or even of surprise. 

Mazikeen took advantage of his distraction and moved away to the end of the room. She always had been a fast demon; that was one of the reasons she was so useful to him. When she wasn’t plotting against him, that was.

"And I will not allow you to stop me, my Lord,” she said with a lopsided smile, clearly knowing she was walking the line of insubordination but still pushing on. “You don’t know the details.”

He opened his mouth to retort, but she talked over him.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, _humans_ ,” she said cheekily, before she slid out the door and left them standing there. 

Lucifer saw Jack looking expectantly at him. He was obviously itching to give chase, but also aware he couldn’t really take down a demon on his own.

“Shouldn’t we follow her?” Jack asked.

“There’s no use; she’s already gone. But I don’t think she’ll stay away for long,” Lucifer said. “Not from this place, and not from me.”

**

“So, you seriously mean we shouldn’t wait to check if she comes back? We should just go our merry way?” 

Jack sounded surprised as he said it. They were walking through the streets of Bloomsbury, leaving the British Museum behind. Phryne couldn’t help but agree with Jack’s disbelief. They’d been so close to catching the demon! And now they were walking away.

“I’m certain that before she does anything more at that museum, she’ll come pestering me about it,” Lucifer said. “I know her.” 

“Maybe you should hear her out,” Phryne said. “You can’t be sure she’s up to something bad until you’ve heard her side of the story.”

“She’s a demon, you know,” Lucifer said. “They’re usually up to something bad.”

Phryne opened her mouth to say something more, but Lucifer ignored her. 

“Speaking of which, I think you _do_ know that she’s a demon, and I’m the Devil.”

He scrutinized both of their faces, and when no one gave anything away, he let his eyes flash red. 

Neither of them flinched. Phryne felt a short jolt of fear shiver through her, but she was determined not to show it, just as she and Jack had decided over breakfast. If he _really_ was the Devil, they had agreed, if all his antics had an otherworldly origin, the last thing he needed was them running scared. They knew him already, from different times and places – they knew him well enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. If he’d wanted to hurt them, he would have already done it, wouldn’t he? And he wouldn’t have been positively delighted to see his old friend again, after a decade, if he was out to corrupt them? There was just nothing devious about the way he behaved.

Phryne gave him a tiny nod in response, tilting her head.

“We suspected.”

Lucifer eyed them for a while.

“This is most curious,” he said. 

“We decided yesterday you were probably the Devil,” Jack admitted. “All the clues lead up to it; it’s the reasonable explanation for all the things you can do and know.” 

He paused, looking at Phryne in what seemed to be a need to get some extra courage before continuing. 

“I saw your eyes turn red yesterday, when Phryne told you about Foyle. And the fact that they did that in response to someone doing evil deeds, because you were angry on Phryne’s behalf… well, I think that says a lot about you.”

Lucifer looked at him. 

“But I’m the Devil,” he muttered, unbelieving.

“Who says the Devil can’t be a good person?” Phryne said. “The only truly evil people I have met have been very human. And most often, bad deeds are the consequences of awful circumstances.” Phryne threw a glance at Jack. “The number of murderers we have exposed that were in a horrible situation and acted out...”

Jack nodded. 

“There’s no need for a mythical figure to make people do evil things. They seem to handle that all on their own.”

Lucifer stopped in the middle of the pavement, just drinking them in. “I… I don’t know what to say,” he finally managed.

“You don’t have to say anything, Lucifer,” Phryne said as she put her hand on his arm. “But you can do me a favour.”

“Oh?” Lucifer asked, going from stunned to gleeful in the span of a second. “Do tell, I’m quite good at those.” 

“My parents are forcing me to come for dinner tonight. They’re likely planning to grill poor Jack to his wits’ end; I have struggled to keep them at bay, but in the end it’s impossible to refuse. Please, will you join us and take some of that curiosity?" She rolled her eyes. "The food will be fantastic, it’s only the company that will be a bit on the dubious side.”

Lucifer again looked stricken. 

“You want the Devil to come to your family dinner?” he asked.

“Why not? My conniving father could use some true competition.” She winked at him. Next to her, Jack laughed; he knew Henry Fisher and he didn’t disagree.

They walked on. Phryne told Lucifer they’d pick him up at six, since his hotel was on the way. 

As they parted, Phryne took Lucifer’s hand and squeezed it. 

“One more thing,” she continued. “Until proven differently, I will give the same benefit of a doubt to your demon. I really think we should ask what she’s after.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The one thing I changed from the Lucifer canon is that Maze is more knowledgeable about human life than she is in the episode “City of Angels?”. I want Maze to be clever and resourceful also pre-Earth, even as she doesn't know Earth that well, so that is what she is here.
> 
> Also: in the next chapter, Baron Fisher meets the devil!


	4. Henry Fisher Meets the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phryne is bringing both Jack and Lucifer to her family dinner. Maybe she hadn't thought this all the way through?
> 
> Also, there is an unexpected visitor.

It was precisely six o’clock sharp when they came to pick Lucifer up. The mess in the room suggested he might have had company, but he was perfectly put together and immaculately dressed when the detectives arrived. Jack envied him, the way he could look so at ease; it seemed to come so naturally to him. 

Lucifer struck a beautiful figure in his black suit; the shirt white and crisp, a red handkerchief in the front breast pocket perfecting the look. Jack knew he cleaned up nicely himself, but the other man was on a different level of flawlessness. He watched as Phryne took the two of them in, her smile extremely suggestive. He could tell she was enjoying this thoroughly.

As they passed the front desk, the porter who bore the name tag ‘Rudolph’ was on duty. He looked a little worse for wear, his clothes not entirely in order. Phryne waved at him and the man blushed deeply, which confused Jack until he saw the smile on Lucifer’s face. 

_Oh._ Jack coughed; he was pretty sure he could guess who Lucifer’s daytime diversion had been. He felt his own cheeks redden at the image his mind conjured up. Then he shook his head, deciding not to linger on that thought. He settled on hoping the lad hadn’t left the desk unsupervised and risked his job for it. 

Phryne sat down in the driver’s seat and started the convertible; it was a beautiful specimen she had loaned for the day. 

“It’s not as lovely as my Hispano-Suiza, but it’ll have to do,” she said cheerily as she moved into traffic.

“It’s fantastic!” Lucifer exclaimed from the front. 

Lucifer had snuck into the front passenger seat before Jack could protest, and Jack had patiently taken the back seat. If Lucifer really was the Devil – and Jack was pretty sure by now that he was – he couldn’t begrudge him the joy of sitting next to Phryne and feeling the wind in his hair. Who knew what his daily life looked like in Hell; Jack was pretty sure it was nothing as nice as his current stay in London. His heart rather ached for the man. 

At that exact moment, as if to prove Jack’s assumption, Lucifer threw out an arm, fingers spread out, to better feel the passing air.

“It’s almost like flying,” he said, satisfied, patting the console. “I really should get me one of these.”

Phryne scrutinized him long enough that Jack considered telling her to watch the road.

“Does the Devil have wings?” she asked, finally.

“Of course,” Lucifer said; his smile more a grimace than anything. “I was an angel once, you know.”

Jack met Phryne’s gaze in the rear mirror. That was one thing they hadn’t talked about, when they discussed the Devil over a belated lunch. Neither of them had thought of a possible angelic connection. It was a lot to wrap one’s head around.

“Oh yes, now that you mention it,” Phryne mused, “Dot taught me about that at some point. You were an angel once, so your home is actually Heaven, not Hell.”

“Neither of those wretched places are my home,” Lucifer said, emphatically. “I have nowhere I feel truly at ease.”

Phryne reached out her hand and put it over Lucifer’s, squeezing it.

“I know something of that feeling,” she said. “I only recently found a home. I hope you will, too.”

Jack saw Lucifer swallow, before turning sharply away to instead look out to the side. He seemed to be at a loss for words, easy affection obviously not something he was used to. _Who prays for Satan, indeed,_ Jack thought ruefully. 

Soon enough, though, Lucifer was back to his normal, gleeful self.

“So, tell me about your parents, Miss Fisher. Are they anything like you? Did they sound scandalised when you invited another gentleman friend to this dinner?” 

Lucifer’s eyes crinkled at the thought. 

“Not scandalised, no, but curious. Father has met Jack before, in Melbourne, but mother has never seen him. I don’t think they even realise why he’s here in England. And you, well, you’re a mysterious stranger.”

As she said that, she pulled over into a driveway leading up to a backyard, where she parked the car. Lucifer agilely jumped out of the vehicle and stretched his long, lean body. Phryne was a little slower, obviously reluctant to have to spend time with her parents. Jack shut the car door after himself and grabbed the flowers they brought with them as a gift.

“Ready?” he asked. 

Phryne took a deep breath and exhaled. 

“I suppose I won’t get more ready than this,” she said, and went to knock on the door.

**

“Darling, you’re here!” the woman who must be Lady Fisher exclaimed, taking Phryne in her hands to kiss her on both cheeks. Lucifer could see Phryne steeling herself and produce an almost happy smile.

The woman was slender, not particularly tall but still with an imposing bearing to her. Her hair was collected at the nape in a beautiful rendition of the fake bob. A silvery ornament that both complemented her dark hair and enhanced the odd few grey streaks was stuck neatly in it. Her eyes were blue green, just like her daughter’s, and her long, blue dress was clearly chosen to highlight them.

It was easy to see the family resemblance.

“Mother,” Phryne said, her voice kind but with an edge to it. “How sweet of you to invite us.”

“Invite you? Surely you mean threaten you with disinheritance unless you set your foot in this house at least occasionally?” the woman retorted, but her smile belied any true annoyance. 

“I’m not that hard to catch,” Phryne said, laughing rather delightedly.

“One might need to hire a detective to find you,” her mother said. “Speaking of which…” she turned to Jack and Lucifer, “…which one of you is the beau from Australia?”

“Mother!” Phryne protested, but to no avail.

Lucifer turned his head to see how Jack was doing. He had set down the flowers on a bureau and was approaching Margaret Fisher with a serious expression on his face, a small smile almost hidden in the corner of his mouth. 

“That would be me, then. Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, Melbourne, Australia,” he said as he reached out his hand. 

“Baroness Margaret Fisher,” she replied, obviously charmed by the way he had taken her tease. “It’s lovely to meet you, Inspector Robinson.”

“Please, call me Jack,” he replied. “Everyone else does.”

“Then you must call me Margaret,” she said, squeezing his hand. Then, turning to Lucifer and reaching for his hand, she added, “And you must be the mystery gentleman.”

“Lucifer Morningstar,” he said as he took it. “A pleasure to meet you, and please call me Lucifer.”

Margaret Fisher met his eyes and he could see she was immediately taken with him. She gasped at his magnetism, and he tried to retreat slightly, for Phryne’s sake. He _could_ be a considerate Devil after all.

“Oh my, you have quite the gentleman friends,” Margaret said, impressed, before collecting herself. “Please, Lucifer, Jack, come join us in the parlour. My husband will be down shortly.”

She led them into a beautiful room, all set in blue and brown, speaking of inherited money as well as a considerable taste. Through the large window the garden could be seen, and also in the cold winter it was clear how luscious and breath-taking it would be in summer. Phryne made a beeline to the drink cart, asking for people’s preferences. Lucifer could see she was on edge, and considering her relative warmth towards the mother, that could only mean one thing.

She wasn’t overly pleased at the prospect of seeing her father.

Well, who would be? Fathers weren’t Lucifer’s cup of tea either.

He smiled suggestively as Phryne handed him a whisky. 

“Thank you, darling,” he purred, making Margaret eye him speculatively, obviously wondering exactly what was the nature of his relationship with her daughter. 

It was clear she was eager to get to know her daughter’s gentleman friends, but that she didn’t know how and where to start. And this was obviously what Phryne had aimed for. _Clever girl_ , he thought as he let his eyes graze over Phryne’s figure, the silvery dress she wore shimmering with every movement she made. He supposed he could confuse these parents enough to stop them from breathing down Jack’s neck and give the man a bit of a break. He just had to be his own irresistible self.

“Did Phryne tell you we originally met in Paris?” Lucifer asked as Margaret turned to him.

“She didn’t! She never tells me these things.”

“It was just after the war. We met at a club. She was quite the wild cat,” Lucifer said, before noticing that Phryne was signalling to him to be quiet. What, she didn’t appreciate him going down memory lane? 

“On the dance floor,” Phryne added in. “That’s what you meant, right, Lucifer?”

“Of course,” he replied, smiling. “That too.”

Margaret looked scandalised for a second, before Jack asked her about a detail in the interior design that was obviously an heirloom, and they walked over to examine it more thoroughly. Quite the save.

Phryne came over to Lucifer’s side.

“Lucifer, please don’t go into details about my love life with my parents,” she said, tugging on the sleeve of his suit. “I’m not the slightest ashamed of it, and God knows she probably already heard things from my aunt” – Lucifer huffed at her comment about God, but she ignored it – “but the less she knows, the better.”

Lucifer looked at her.

“I’m sorry Phryne, there is something I should probably have said before you invited me here. I never lie. It’s a point of personal pride. I have never lied and will never do so.”

Phryne looked at him, thoughtful.

“Alright,” she said. “But you don’t have to blurt out everything in great detail either, do you?”

“Point taken,” Lucifer conceded. “Perhaps I don’t.” 

He raised his drink in a salute.

Phryne rolled her eyes at him and toasted him back. Lucifer smiled as he took a long sip of his drink. 

This evening could prove to be a lot of fun.

**

Margaret was in deep conversation with Jack about the crime rate in Melbourne when Baron Henry Fisher arrived to greet their guests.

“Phryne, finally!” he exclaimed as he went over to kiss her. Then, turning to the Inspector and offering his hand, he said, “Jack! Surely, I can still call you Jack?”

“Of course,” the younger man said. “I hope the flight back to England was pleasant?”

“If one calls being afraid to plunge towards one’s death several weeks in a row a pleasure,” the Baron answered.

“Come now, father. I was the epitome of a careful pilot,” Phryne said.

“Except that time when there was a storm.”

“Well, that was hardly my fault.”

“And that time over the Indian Ocean.”

“Well, yes, but that was mostly to see if you’d notice a little freefall.” Phryne’s smile turned rather wicked. 

“I noticed, alright. Especially as my stomach almost relieved itself of breakfast.”

Phryne snorted, equally amused and annoyed by her father. 

“We got here at least, and before the ship would have,” she said, eyeing her mother.

“You did, and I am so grateful, Phrynekins,” Margaret said. 

Lucifer took a large gulp of his drink to stop himself from snorting at the nickname. He almost succeeded. The noise he produced made Phryne turn towards him.

“Oh, and this is Lucifer Morningstar, father,” Phryne said. 

Henry paused before Lucifer. 

“Lucifer?” he asked, bemused. “Like the Devil?”

“Yes,” Lucifer replied with a broad smile. “Exactly like the Devil.” 

He could see Henry Fisher do the kind of double take that usually meant someone was having a guilty conscience, and the sound of Lucifer’s name reminded them of it. Intriguing. This man, for all his outside ease, was a man deeply burdened by guilt. Lucifer could almost smell it on him.

The Baron collected himself visibly. “I’m Baron Henry Fisher,” he said. “Please, call me Henry.” Then he turned to the drink cart and eyed the bottles, “I think I may need something strong.”

“I'm sure,” Phryne said dryly. “And I think we all could use a top-up.”

Soon, it was time to go to the dining-room. Margaret orchestrated the seating and asked the butler to serve the first course.

“So, did Prudence send any greetings?” Margaret asked Jack over the delicious fish. “When she knew you were travelling?”

“Oh,” Jack said. “I suppose I never really told her I was going.”

“No? I thought you were quite close? She has been raving about you in her letters, especially after your help when she had that women’s asylum housed at her estate.”

“Oh,” Lucifer interjected, “that sounds intriguing.”

“It was,” Phryne said, happily preparing to tell the story, but her mother wasn’t to be deterred.

“You never told Prudence you were going, Inspector?”

“It was a rash decision; I never thought of it.”

Margaret looked victorious.

“I thought Phryne said you had been planning this trip for a long time. And that it didn’t come about solely because she was leaving. So, that doesn’t seem to be the case. This is very interesting.” 

She gazed pointedly at her daughter.

Lucifer watched Phryne’s expression; he had never seen her at a loss for words before. She had obviously toned down the nature of her relationship with the Inspector.

“Well,” Jack said. He took a deep breath, looking Phryne square in the eyes. “No. It was only because Phryne was leaving. I wanted to follow her.” 

Phryne looked rather moved by his declaration, even as her wariness never seemed to leave her.

Margaret cast a triumphant glance at her husband. 

“I told you, Henry. There was no way that was a coincidence.” 

Henry looked flustered; Lucifer got the feeling he might have tried to cover for his daughter by being vague. 

Margaret turned again to Jack, and Lucifer could see from the look on her face what she was up to – she was going to inquire about his background, perhaps even for the date of the wedding. Lucifer knew that was one of the questions he was supposed to divert. He took a quick sip of his wine and spoke up.

“Did you know the first time I met Jack I was completely naked?”

Four pairs of eyes turned to regard him in astonishment, and he was indeed beginning to see the minor flaws in his choice of angle. Humans, always so fussy about details.

“Not that it’s a hardship for anyone to see, I assure you,” he added. 

The poor Inspector was blushing, and Lucifer decided to help him out; really, he was practically an angel today. 

“I was all alone out in the middle of the ocean, no land in sight. Jack was the one who noticed me,” he explained. “The steamer he was on picked me up, and they allowed me to join them to England.”

“He saved you?” Margaret said, intrigued.

“Oh, that sounds far too heroic,” Jack said, clearly flustered. “I just happened to be the first to notice a man overboard.”

“What were you doing in the middle of the ocean?” Henry asked. “I haven’t heard about any shipwrecks lately. Or plane crashes, come to think of it.” It seemed his mind wasn’t far from that alluded to almost-incident over the Indian Ocean.

Lucifer opened his mouth to speak, but before he managed to say anything, Phryne interjected. “We don’t always hear about those things, especially when it comes to small boats. Lucifer tends to think of himself as invincible, so he likes to take risks.”

Her eyes told him he’d better not say anything, and he took another sip of his wine. He couldn’t help but smile. Was this whole dinner going to be a contest in diverting every conversation topic that arose? Although it amused him, he also couldn’t stand for it. It would be too much like lying.

“Of course, I think I’m invincible, Phryne. I am the Devil, after all,” he said and winked.

After a short silence, Henry burst out laughing.

“That’s a good one, Mr Morningstar. I suppose you get that all the time, just as you did from me.” He smiled nervously and asked his wife to ring the bell. “It’s certainly time for the main course, I’d say, aren’t you all starving?” 

The butler arrived with the new course, filling their glasses with a red wine before retreating.

“Speaking of names, Phryne’s butler in Melbourne is called Mr Butler,” Henry said. “Isn’t that hilarious?”

“He’s a wonderful man,” Phryne said. “He knows his manners, his Cordon Bleu, and also how to render a burglar harmless.”

“All skills necessary when working for Miss Fisher,” Jack conceded with a smile.

“A burglar!” Margaret exclaimed. “But –”

Oh dear, another topic that proved to be too upsetting. Lucifer saw Phryne and Jack exchange a glance before Jack spoke.

“One can never be too cautious, Lady Fisher,” he said seriously. “You can rest comfortably knowing Phryne is surrounded by the best of people. Her staff, especially.”

Somehow, Lucifer mused, he had managed to talk Lady Fisher around, from scandalised to happy to hear about her daughter’s new life. This was quite the feat.

Once they finished the main course, Henry laid his napkin down. 

“I’m going for a smoke. Anyone care to join me?” 

“Gladly,” Lucifer said with a smile, joining him on the way to the balcony. 

The baron offered him a cigar and Lucifer accepted. They stood side by side, looking out into the cloudy night. A couple of stars were shining through the gloom, but only very faintly. 

After a few minutes, Henry Fisher broke the silence.

“Such a typical, cold English night. Sometimes, I really miss Australia.”

Lucifer hummed. As he gazed out into the garden, he decided he wanted to prod this man a bit. He remembered Phryne’s stories from Paris about her father – punishing his daughter without any reason, volatilely switching between being kind and cold. That was no way to treat a child. It was also far too similar to what his Father had done to him.

“Phryne told me about the way you raised her,” Lucifer said, glancing at Henry out of the corner of his eye. “That you locked her in a cupboard. Is that why you have such a guilty conscience?”

“What?” Henry said. “No, I –” He looked at Lucifer, and Lucifer felt his own gaze push through the Baron’s defences, down to his very core.

“– yes,” Henry conceded, not able to withstand Lucifer’s mesmerising eyes. 

He looked away, slowly exhaling smoke out into the night. Lucifer was quite impressed with his ability to break away; it showed a hidden strength he hadn’t believed was in him. Then Henry Fisher set his eyes on Lucifer again - when it came to it, it seemed the older man felt a need to confess. 

“For that, and for a thousand small things I’ve done. I have lied, I have betrayed my wife, I have been distant and cruel.”

“And she still wants you?”

“God knows why.” Lucifer rolled his eyes at the man’s expression but didn’t speak. “I have caused her grief enough for a lifetime. And still, she loves me.”

The Baron rubbed his eyes, slowly. He obviously had more sins on his mind.

“I have wished that Phryne was the girl I lost, so I could have my sweet Janey back.” He exhaled painfully, knowing exactly what a horrible thought that was, coming from a father. “I hate myself for it. I do love Phryne, I do. I just… I couldn’t help but blame her, and so I punished her. She was too headstrong, and I tried to take that away.”

“Not that it worked,” Lucifer interjected.

“No. Quite the contrary,” Henry agreed.

“Lucky for you.” Lucifer’s voice had gone quite dark.

Henry took a drag from his cigar and thought for a while before continuing.

“After the war, I needed to lie, to protect my family. And all the lies just blended into a sordid pool of disgusting mud.” He paused. “I have so much to atone for. I have never managed to stay on course.”

Lucifer was silent for a while, taking care to reign himself in. This would not be the right time to make a proper point; he couldn’t do that to Phryne. He sighed.

“Just one word of advice, Baron. Make amends. Before it’s too late.” 

He put out the half-smoked cigar against the railing. 

“Just think of it as your ‘the Devil made me do it’.” 

He smiled, patting the Baron on his shoulder, content as it made him flinch. Then Lucifer went back into the dining room to join the others. 

**

As soon as she saw Lucifer come back from the balcony, Phryne grabbed his arm. There had been a highly surprising turn of their evening while Lucifer had been out with her father for what – ten minutes? Fifteen? Now she needed the Devil to sort it all out. 

“Come here, Lucifer,” she all but hissed as she pulled him away into the hallway.

“What?” Lucifer said, obviously interpreting her action as a reprimand. “I didn’t do anything to your father. And I haven’t behaved horribly so far, have I?”

Phryne looked at him.

“Should I have been worried about you doing something to my father?” she asked, allowing a small smile to form on her lips. “What did you have in mind?” 

The idea of her father meeting the Devil… it wasn’t altogether unpleasant.

Lucifer shook his head. 

“I was thinking of putting some proper fear into him, but I didn’t. I wouldn’t. Not at a family dinner.”

“More’s the pity,” Phryne said, before she caught herself. “No, I don’t really mean that. Please, don’t scare my father. After all, my mother needs him, even if the reason escapes me.”

Lucifer nodded, a smile on his lips.

“But we have other problems right now,” Phryne added.

“We do?”

“Jack is currently using all his charms to keep mother occupied, because we have a new guest that we don’t want her to notice. A new guest I have done my utmost to try to keep in line.”

“What guest?”

“Come on,” Phryne said. 

She led Lucifer into a small room by the hallway.

“Mazikeen!” he exclaimed.

There, sitting in an armchair, just where Phryne had asked her to wait, flicking two curved knives back and forth as if she was just waiting for a reason to use them, was Mazikeen the demon.

“It’s not hard to follow you, Lucifer. You shouldn’t sound so surprised.”

Lucifer did look surprised, but not angry or scared, which made Phryne feel a bit better. So, they weren’t going to start fighting, here, at her parents’ place. A sudden fear gripped Phryne’s stomach; had she been unwise to bring the Devil to her parents? Was she behaving too recklessly, trusting Lucifer Morningstar like this? But her gut told her he was trustworthy, and she tended to listen to her instincts.

“Why did you follow me, Maze? What are you after?” Lucifer asked, breaking Phryne out of her musings. “You know I can’t let demons roam the Earth.”

“I’m not roaming the Earth, Lucifer. I’m just here for a short visit.”

Lucifer scoffed, and Phryne saw her chance to enter the conversation.

“Mazikeen has told me a most interesting story. I think we should help her.”

Lucifer huffed again, and Phryne put her hand on his arm, silencing him effectively. Mazikeen looked at her with a newfound respect, Phryne noticed.

“She told me what she was going to do at the British Museum. She’s not trying to destroy anything; she’s trying to help a soul in Hell.”

Lucifer looked sceptical.

“Help a soul? Maze?” he asked.

“I knew he wouldn’t believe me,” Mazikeen said, but Phryne silenced her too, by putting a hand on her arm as well. Really, devils and demons weren’t that different from humans, she decided. They were just a bit… _more_ , that was all.

“I like you, Phryne-Fisher,” Mazikeen said, pronouncing her name as if it was hyphenated.

Lucifer’s eyebrow shot up, but he blissfully kept his mouth shut. 

It seemed the two of them really brought out the worst in each other, Phryne thought, behaving stand-offish in a way neither of them did with her. She couldn’t help but wonder what the nature of their relationship was. But she reigned her inquisitive nature in. They were in a hurry, she really had to focus.

“Mazikeen only followed the angel’s path to annoy him, and you. Well, and to check on you,” Phryne said. “I had to push her a little to confess that last bit,” she added in a fake stage whisper. 

Mazikeen rolled her eyes but didn’t protest.

“Then, seeing as she was on Earth, she decided to explore a bit before approaching you.” 

“Of course, she did,” Lucifer said.

“She explored bars, clubs – and museums. And when she visited the British Museum, she suddenly recognised someone.”

“It was Djitef,” Mazikeen interjected. “Do you remember him? The Egyptian priest I had such trouble designing a proper Hell-loop for?”

Lucifer nodded, silent.

“He wasn’t guilty enough for Hell, but he was still there. We couldn’t understand what the problem was. I tried so many punishments, but none of them were right. I hate that; I want the punishments to fit the crime perfectly,” Mazikeen said. “Well, now I know why it didn’t work.”

“Why?”

“When I was at the Egyptian exhibition, I happened to stumble on his sarcophagus. Ha! What are the odds, right? That he would be there, on display?” She smiled sharply, and then turned serious. “And lucky for him he was. He’s been cursed, Lucifer. The curse is obvious if you know where to look.” 

The demon paused to see Lucifer’s reaction, but he simply cocked his eyebrow in a request for her to continue.

“If I undo it, he would be free of Hell. Where he doesn’t belong. I was just about to figure out a way when you showed up and disturbed me.”

Phryne nodded eagerly. 

“We should help this man. Imagine being stuck in Hell when you really shouldn’t be –”. Phryne paused, looking at Lucifer and the way he flinched. “I suppose you can imagine that quite well, can’t you?”

“I suppose I can,” he replied.

“Then that’s settled. We’ll meet up at the museum again tomorrow morning. And now you really have to go, Mazikeen, before my parents notice anything.”

Mazikeen rose.

“You’ll come, then?” she challenged the Devil.

He paused for a while, before speaking.

“You have my word.”

Mazikeen looked content with that, her stance relaxing. She nodded at Phryne before she went to the front door and slunk out.

Phryne slowly lowered herself onto the armchair, exhaling.

“That went well,” she said, trying to breathe properly, incredulous at the turn her evening had taken. “But I really think we should go home now. Before anything more disastrous happens.” 

Then she realised where she was. She had taken care of a demon and a devil, but the most dangerous person was still roaming free. 

“Oh no! Jack! We have to save him before mother pressures him into something he can’t escape!”


	5. It Takes Three to Tango

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team heads to the British Museum to help Mazikeen save a soul, and things get stressful in the Ancient Egypt exhibition. If they succeed, they'll have several days before Amenadiel comes to fetch Lucifer again. Whatever will they do to pass the time?

The next morning, Lucifer showed up at the British Museum with the two detectives, just as promised. Mazikeen was waiting outside, leaning on a fence.

“You came,” she greeted, sending them a sharp smile. “I assume you had a good night?” 

“We saved Jack from my mother’s grip just in time,” Phryne said. “And Lucifer scared my father. He went to bed before we even made it to the nightcap.”

“The man deserved it,” Lucifer said. “I have little patience for fathers who treat their children that way.”

“We’re ready, then,” Mazikeen interrupted, rolling her eyes at Lucifer’s indignation. She looked him over. “I will need you to open the glass lid that the sarcophagus is placed under, Lucifer,” she said. “I mean, I could cut right through it, but then the humans would notice, and you didn’t want that. So, I need you with me; you always manage to open everything.”

“Of course. I’m the Devil.”

“When it’s open,” the demon continued a little louder, “I’ll cut the thread binding the curse to the soul. You humans can’t even see it, but we can, and it can be severed with my Hell-forged blades.” She flicked the blades, as if proving her point.

“And what do you want us to do?” Jack asked.

“Guard one door each, and if someone approaches you have to distract them.”

They nodded; it was a sound plan.

The first drawback was a school class occupying the Egyptian exhibition when they entered. A group of twenty 8-year-olds were listening with large eyes as their teacher told them about the Pharaohs and their burial rites. 

Lucifer sighed exaggeratedly.

“Do we really have to…” he started, but Phryne interrupted him.

“Yes, we can’t do anything with the children here. And we can’t scare them away. No, not even a little bit.”

The group stayed for another fifteen minutes. Lucifer spent the time trying to read the hieroglyphs off the walls, complaining that he’d always been better at speaking the language than reading it.

Finally, the class moved on, but just as the quartet was about to head over to the sarcophagus in question, a museum guard came and placed herself by one of the doors.

“You have to charm her,” Lucifer told Jack. “I can’t do all the work here.”

“Fine,” Jack said. “But don’t count on getting too much time. I’m not _that_ charming.” 

He straightened himself and approached the lady; putting on a much thicker accent than his own, he started, “Excuse me, Ma’am, but could I ask you about this intriguing statue in the other room? I’m visiting from Australia and this museum is so impressive.”

“Of course!” The lady brightened and gestured for Jack to follow her.

Phryne exhaled loudly and positioned herself outside the other door. 

“Quick!” she whispered, gesturing frantically for the other two to hurry.

Lucifer approached the sarcophagus and touched the lock. He grinned when it opened beneath his hands with a small ‘click’.

They opened the lid and Mazikeen reached down with one of her knives towards the elusive thread that shimmered there, half-visible to the celestials’ eyes.

“Do it,” Lucifer whispered, but she couldn’t fixate on the colourful thread for long enough.

“It’s harder than it looks,” she protested.

Lucifer could hear the voice of the lady outside, and Jack’s polite way of steering her away with yet another question.

“Here, let me help,” Lucifer said. He reached down to grab the thread; it seemed willing to obey him. “Now, cut!”

“You’re in my way. I may cut you too.”

“Never mind, just cut it!” 

“But what if –,” Mazikeen said, conflicted. 

“I’ll survive,” Lucifer pressured her. “Do it!”

“Fine,” Maze said and cut down, hard.

“Ouch!” Lucifer exclaimed, drawing his hand back to cradle it to his chest. They both saw the colourful thread slowly curl up at the break, before it disappeared into thin air.

“We did it,” Mazikeen said. “We succeeded! I bet he leaves Hell immediately as a result of this.” She paused for a second, before plunging on. “Now we need to close the lid again. Come on.”

“You do it,” Lucifer gasped, folded into himself. “I’m having a moment here.”

“Fine,” Mazikeen said, closing the lid and adjusting the lock so it looked untampered with. “Can you lock it again?”

“No,” Lucifer wheezed. “I only open, I don’t lock.” 

“Alright. This should take a while before they notice anything is wrong, at least. Ready?”

“Sure.”

They turned to fetch Phryne. Mazikeen looked at the odd way he was holding himself.

“What’s the matter, Lucifer? You look weird.”

“I’m not weird, Maze, I’m _hurt_ ,” Lucifer hissed. “You cut through my bloody wrist.”

“What?” Mazikeen stopped and forced him to show her his arm, which was covered in blood. “You’re bleeding loads. This is absurd.” 

Just as she said that, Phryne came towards them, realising the deed was done.

“Lucifer!” she exclaimed. “That’s a lot of blood.”

“Never mind that,” he said. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll heal soon enough.”

“We have to stop the bleeding, darling,” Phryne said. “You cannot walk like that.”

She quickly took off her coat so she could reach her blouse, hastily tearing off one of the sleeves and making an impromptu tourniquet of it. With the tight pressure on the wound, the gushing blood was reduced to a trickle.

“This is just temporary – we’ll need to find you a better bandage soon,” she said. “That really is a deep cut.”

“Demon blades. They cut true, even the Devil,” Lucifer said through gritted teeth. “Now, can we finally go?

Phryne nodded, grabbing her coat and putting it on again as they went to retrieve Jack. The lady was in the midst of telling him something about Greek artists and counterpoise.

Phryne approached them; Lucifer and Mazikeen slunk away towards the exit.

“Darling!” she exclaimed. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you.” She turned to the guard. “I am so sorry to swoop in and whisk him away, but we’re already running late. He’s insatiable when it comes to knowledge. Well, and other things.” She winked gingerly at the lady.

Just as she thought, the lady was surprised enough by her comment to not try and keep Jack with her answers.

“Alrighty, doll,” Jack said with his exaggerated Australian accent, before he turned to the guard. “Thank you for your help.”

“You’re very welcome, Mr Robinson. Enjoy your stay in London,” the lady said, and with one final look at the couple, she went back to her post.

The gang regrouped outside of the building.

“So, did you succeed?” Jack asked.

“We did. Well, and Lucifer got a little hurt.” Mazikeen rolled her eyes. “Nothing he won’t survive, though.”

Jack made a face as he saw Lucifer’s wrist; it looked bad, and Lucifer was quite pale.

“So much for invincible, huh?” he said. 

“It will heal,” Lucifer assured them, but they all looked rather worried.

“Come home with us so we can patch you up properly,” Phryne said. “And Mazikeen, I promised you some human clothes. Let’s all get a taxi.”

Twenty minutes later, they reached Phryne’s flat. 

Jack pushed a protesting Lucifer into the bathroom, where Jack cleaned the wound carefully, drying the skin with a towel before bandaging it up. Lucifer watched his concentrated face as he secured the tip of it.

“Why, thank you, Inspector,” Lucifer purred, checking the handiwork.

Jack just nodded and brought him to the bedroom.

“Lie down for a while, to slow down the blood flow,” he said, holding up the bedspread. 

Lucifer raised his eyebrow questioningly, but finally complied. 

In the other room, Phryne took Mazikeen to her wardrobe and opened the door.

“Pick any outfit you want,” she said gallantly.

Mazikeen hesitated for a second, before she started to look through the clothes, touching them to feel the texture of their material. After a while, she decided on a short black dress that would show off most of her legs. 

“Not much leather in your wardrobe,” she said with a grin, “but I found something useful.” 

Phryne grinned back. “I’m glad to hear it.”

Then she turned more serious.

“So, what will you do now, Mazikeen? You still have three days before Amenadiel comes back for you and Lucifer.” 

“I have plans. I’ve found some interesting clubs I want to explore; there seems to be many that aren’t completely legal. I think they may find a torturer from Hell exactly up their alley,” she said with a smile.

“And you’ll come back to the hotel in good time?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to be stuck up here for real.” She rolled her eyes, and it made Phryne think of her friend Doctor Mac. She was the most proficient eye-roller she knew, but Mazikeen might just beat her.

They walked to the bedroom where Lucifer was splayed out in the bed, looking for all intents and purposes like he lived there. 

“So, you’ll meet again Tuesday morning in Lucifer’s suite at Brown’s,” Phryne clarified. “Then you can prove to Amenadiel you’ve done what he asked for.”

“Not that he’ll be the least grateful,” Lucifer said, looking up at them from his reclined position. “But yes. It’s a deal.” 

Mazikeen turned to leave. Phryne followed her to the door.

“Take care, Mazikeen,” she said.

“You too, Phryne-Fisher,” Mazikeen replied. 

Then she was gone.

**

Phryne went back to check on the Devil in her bed. She sat down by his side to feel his forehead, noting it was hot, and then removed the bandage to look at his wound. It was already partly healed.

“You’re recovering extraordinarily fast,” she said, before bandaging him up again.

“One of the perks of being a celestial,” he said. “Of course, it has the backside that there’s much less time for someone to play doctor with you.” 

He winked at her, which made her smile.

“I see getting your wrist cut hasn’t really changed your modus operandi,” she said.

“A bit of pain can’t change that,” he said. “Or I would have lost it already a very, very long time ago.”

Phryne looked at him, taking in the way he was both joking and serious at the same time, his mouth forming a kind of half-smile. It was such a _Lucifer_ way of talking. There was always that hidden depth, that he didn’t really allow anyone to see, but she could sense it.

“We’ll make some food,” she said, finally. “I’ll call you when it’s done. You need sustenance after a day like this.”

His eyes, large in the semi-darkness, were softer than she’d ever seen them. He was utterly beautiful, his paleness catching the light from the parlour, contrasting with his dark hair and his impossibly long eyelashes. The Devil, in her bed, as alluring as a man could be. The thought made her catch her breath.

“You really are taking care of me, Miss Fisher,” he whispered. “I appreciate it.” 

Phryne left the bedroom, stopping outside to lean at the wall. Dammit, this man really was temptation on legs. Jack sat on the sofa; she could see that he noticed her reaction. She met his eyes.

“How about we make some food, Jack? I think we could all do with some nourishment.”  
He nodded and rose.  
“There’s some cheese and vegetables. I could make an omelette.”  
Jack took charge of the kitchen, now and then asking Phryne to do something, like fetching the salt. Apart from that, she leaned against the windowsill, drinking him in as he puttered in the kitchen. The last days had gone by in a whiff – the excitement of his arrival, the sudden appearance of Lucifer, the rush of the case, and the pressure of meeting her parents. Now, she finally felt she could breathe properly. 

He was beautiful, her steadfast inspector. Seeing him in such a domestic setting was unexpectedly thrilling; she couldn’t help but wonder if she could have him like this forever. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his jacket long gone, and a colourful apron hung over his clothes to protect them from food stains. She watched his movements, the perfection of his hair, and the endearingly turned-up tip of his nose. 

He whistled as he added the chopped vegetables into the egg-mix, and then stopped when he realised that she was staring at him.

“What?” he said.

“Nothing,” she replied, and then amended herself. “No, not nothing. I’m just thinking… how I would love to have days like this with you. Again. Always.”

He looked at her for a moment, wiping his hands on the edge of his apron as he approached to put his arm around her waist. 

“Do you mean days like this… when we have allowed someone to break into one of the nation’s most prestigious museums and our poor companion has suffered a knife wound? Or days like this, when we’re making some food after a successfully closed case?” He smiled.

“I’ll let you guess which one I meant,” Phryne said.

He bent down to press his lips to hers, softly. 

“Then I say we can have many days like this.”

Phryne felt her eyes moisten slightly at his promise.

**

Jack heard a noise and turned to see Lucifer standing in the kitchen door. His hair was mussed, his shirt wrinkled, his waistcoat partly unbuttoned – but his face was less pale, which was a good sign. He looked at the two of them with his large brown eyes, smiling.

“You are beautiful together,” he said. “I was thinking perhaps I should leave.”

“You are not going anywhere,” Jack said. He moved away from Phryne to direct Lucifer into one of the kitchen chairs. “We’re going to feed you and see that you feel better.” 

Phryne placed the plates and cutlery on the table, then she sat down next to Lucifer.

“I’m glad you’re improving,” she said, caressing his arm. 

Jack placed a piece of omelette on every plate, carefully sprinkling them with parsley and some olive oil. 

They all dug in. Lucifer closed his eyes and moaned at the delicious taste; it made Jack and Phryne exchange a piercing look. Was he even aware of what he sparked with that kind of sound? Well, of course he was, Jack decided – Lucifer was every bit as deliberate a flirt as Phryne was. She cocked her eyebrow in a silent question; after a second that seemed to stretch out forever, Jack replied with a small nod. 

He knew what he was agreeing to; they had touched on the subject before. He’d never made love to two people at the same time before, but with this woman who owned his heart, and this man who had tempted him in ways he’d never experienced before – yes, he wanted to do it. He ached from how much he wanted to do it.

Lucifer must have caught the mood shifting, because his mouth turned into a questioning grin.

“Did this kitchen just turn rather tense?” he asked. His voice sounded delighted.

“How about a drink in the parlour?” Phryne said.

Jack rinsed the plates and then followed her there, placing himself at the fireplace, a spot he’d always felt comfortable at. Leaning on the mantel he felt as grounded as he could be under the circumstances. Lucifer accepted a whisky from Phryne and stood beside him. He turned to Jack, a curious look on his face.

“Tell me, Jack, what is it you desire?” he asked.

Jack looked caught for a second, before shaking himself free of the Devil’s magnetism.

"No need for that, Lucifer; we already agreed,” he said, sounding less nervous than he felt. “Well, if you’re amenable?”

Lucifer looked at him for a moment, before stealing a glance Phryne’s way. She was smiling. Lucifer opened his mouth – probably to make a quip – when Jack decided there had been enough talking and pushed forward to silence the man with a kiss. 

The sensation of Lucifer’s soft lips on his was thrilling; the man certainly knew how to kiss. Jack let his hands caress the other man’s cheeks, finding his leverage at the sensation of his stubble. Lucifer moaned into his mouth, a sound so sinful Jack could feel it down his spine, and then suddenly, he was losing the initiative – Lucifer used his superior height to push forward and make the kiss deeper, harder, more needy. Jack couldn’t help but groan in response.

Lucifer released him then, titling his head as if to scrutinize him. 

“Oh my,” Phryne said from the side. When Jack turned towards her, she was fanning herself with her hand, smiling. “That is a sight for sore eyes.”

Lucifer reacted quickly, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her towards him, kissing her soundly. Jack watched, fascinated, as Lucifer’s jaw worked to thoroughly devour her; Phryne gave as good as she got, her mouth sensually opened. When they parted, her eyes were glazed in a way Jack recognised intimately. 

“Mmm, Lucifer,” she whispered. “Still got it.” 

“Oh, I’ve definitely got it,” he smiled. 

Phryne reached out, putting one hand on each nape so she could caress them both, releasing their hair from the constraints of pomade. Jack sighed contentedly.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for ages,” she said. “These locks are just asking to be mussed up.”

Lucifer smiled, and then with a pointed look started to undo the buttons on Jack’s waistcoat. 

Phryne took his cue and started to help, pulling Jack’s shirt out of his trousers and unbuttoning it. When they’d managed to free his torso, they shared a look, obviously deciding to go on a joint attack. Lucifer took hold of Jack’s mouth again, kissing him thoroughly, hand in his hair. Phryne went around to the back and hummed as she kissed his neck, putting her arms around his waist to caress his stomach, making small detours further down. One hand escaped to caress Lucifer’s front instead, and she was rewarded with a delighted sound.

Jack’s brain short-circuited, not managing to do anything more than register what was being done to him. He was on fire. Two alluring raven-haired beauties were kissing him at the same time – he would never in his life have guessed something like this would ever happen to him. When Lucifer moved forward, Jack’s back was pushed into Phryne’s front; crushed between the two warm bodies he couldn’t do anything but whimper.

Lucifer retreated again, eyeing them both with a grin.

He unbuttoned his own shirt and threw it behind him, then grabbed the bandage on his wrist and took it away. 

“Careful!” Jack exclaimed, but when the bandage was gone, Lucifer’s wrist showed no sign of a wound. He held up his hand for inspection.

Jack took a step forward and grabbed it, checking the unblemished skin closely with his finger, tracing the veins. Then, with a glance to check Lucifer’s expression, he brought the hand up to his mouth so he could kiss where the wound had been – where it really should still be – and licked the white, soft skin. Lucifer hummed, catching Phryne’s gaze. 

“I can see what you see in him,” he said with a wink. 

Phryne snorted.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” she teased. Then she grabbed Jack’s arm and dragged him away from Lucifer with a wink. “I really think this should continue in the bedroom. Now, which one of you is going to undress me?”

“Oh, it seems we have neglected the lady,” Lucifer said, following closely behind them.

Jack stopped at the bed and took hold of Phryne’s dress, lifting it so he could pull it over her head, exposing her camisole. He could hear Lucifer purr at the sight of him bending forward to kiss her first on her mouth, then down her neck, his hands caressing her hair.

“Allow me,” Lucifer said, and Jack took a step to the side. 

Lucifer kneeled in front of Phryne so he could slowly unclasp Phryne’s garters. He rolled down her stockings, kissing her legs as they were freed from the gossamer fabric. “Mmmm, delicious,” he hummed, before he put his mouth on her knickers, kissing her through them. Phryne gasped and placed one leg over his shoulder, giving him better access.

Jack had never thought he could see someone else kiss Phryne and feel good about it. No, ‘good’ was the wrong word. He felt scorching hot and utterly turned on. They were so incredibly enticing, moving as if they knew exactly what the other was thinking, as if they were dancing. He wanted to taste them, to make them moan. He wanted to be included in whatever they decided to do. His heart was beating incredibly fast.

“I know what I desire,” Phryne said, interrupting Lucifer’s kisses. “May I?”

Both gentlemen nodded, happy to be directed by her. She made Lucifer rise and pushed him down to lay flat on his back on the bed while she kissed him.

“Oh, decisive. I like it,” he said in his most velvety voice.

Then she took hold of Jack and kissed him as deeply, licking her tongue into his mouth, before she whispered something in his ear. He nodded.

“Planning a double assault, are we?” Lucifer asked as he stretched himself languidly, a lazy smile on his lips.

Jack bent forward to open Lucifer’s trousers to free him, and Lucifer hissed at the touch. Jack caught Phryne’s eyes, and then swallowed. He’d never done this to a fellow man; he felt dizzy from the desire pulsing through his veins. Lucifer was utterly beautiful, in every detail, and that obviously also included this. _Well_ , Jack thought, _I can’t even say the Devil made me do it. This is all me._

With that thought, he kneeled on the bed so he could caress the man in front of him, checking with a glance that it was a welcome move; Lucifer smiled enticingly. Jack felt the smooth skin of the stomach and thighs beneath his palms, before moving over the curly, dark hair to the already hardened length. He tried to touch it the way he liked to touch himself, aware of the others’ eyes on him as he took a firm grip and caressed it. The sound Lucifer made was enough to encourage him to bend further and, finally and slightly awkwardly, take him in his mouth. Jack let out a sigh, stunned by the intensity of what he was doing; he felt himself harden in reaction to Lucifer’s moan of approval. 

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Phryne, who was obviously delighted by the scene. She stopped him and took his face in her hands so she could kiss him deeply, before letting him get back to his task. She relieved herself of her knickers, climbing Lucifer so she could straddle his face. 

“Oh, hello there,” Lucifer purred, watching her tower above him. 

“Hello, love,” Phryne smiled, looking down at him and caressing his hair tenderly.

The she lowered herself so he could taste her. His tongue explored her slowly, steadily, teasingly; his hands grabbed her arse, pushing her closer to him so he could devour her properly, groaning into her. She sighed as she started to ride his mouth, whimpering when he touched a particularly good spot. He let his fingers trail over her back and legs before settling on her hips. 

At some point, Jack halted his work so he could properly admire Phryne Fisher riding the Devil; it was a spectacular sight. After a while, he spoke up.

“I’ve got another idea. You want to try?”

Two smiling faces, one of them peeking up from between the other’s thighs, turned towards him and told him that yes, yes they would.

**

Three days later, Phryne was pacing Lucifer’s hotel room, her nervous energy affecting the whole room.

Lucifer was watching her fondly from his place in the armchair. He was holding a drink, determined to get as much good whisky inside of him as possible before he was banished again. Jack was standing by the mantel.

They didn’t hear a sound, but suddenly Mazikeen was by the door.

“You made it,” Phryne said, coming over to hug her.

Mazikeen looked stunned before she awkwardly patted Phryne’s back.

“Of course,” Lucifer said from his chair. “A demon’s word might not always mean much, but Maze’s does.”

Mazikeen watched him, trying to detect if he was sarcastic, but he reassured her with a nod that he was highly serious. She looked almost happy, before catching herself.

“I see the demon blade didn’t kill you,” she said succinctly.

“Did you have a good vacation?” Phryne asked.

Mazikeen’s face lit up. 

“It was splendid. Who knew there were so many people who just _want_ to be punished?”

Lucifer snorted.

“But it’s good to go back. This place has a crazy load of rules you’re supposed to follow. Like, how people get offended at you for just _looking_ at them too hard.” She rolled her eyes.

Phryne laughed at that. Jack offered Mazikeen a drink, which she accepted with a nod.

“Now we just need one more person to have our full house,” Lucifer said. 

He didn’t want to go – he never wanted to go back to Hell, its darkness and noise and the lack of anything he truly loved. But he had had a good vacation, at least – wonderfully varied – a full three weeks around humans and breathing the Earth’s air. This was the longest he’d managed for centuries. He’d told Phryne as much the night before, that it was a long time since he had such a successful break. “I’m glad you spent it with us,” she’d whispered, caressing him so tenderly he’d had to close his eyes not to give away any emotions.

“More whisky?” Jack asked; both Lucifer and Mazikeen nodded.

Then they heard the tell-tale rustle, and Amenadiel appeared in the room. He looked around at the gathering.

“A whole welcome committee, I see,” he huffed. 

His gaze stopped at the demon.

“Mazikeen. I should have known it was you.”

“You should learn to cover your tracks, Amenadiel,” Mazikeen said, cooly. “Who knows what scary monsters you might unleash from Hell?” She downed her glass and glowered at him challengingly.

“Lucifer should learn to reign his demons in,” Amenadiel replied, turning to his brother. “I hope you learned your lesson.”

“I have no idea what lesson you’re talking about,” Lucifer said flippantly.

“Of course, you haven’t,” Amenadiel answered. “I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything as mundane from you.”

He turned to the silent part of the room.

“You even let your humans join us, I see.”

“They helped catch the demon,” Lucifer said. “I thought it only fair.”

“This is the third time this woman is allowed to meet an actual angel,” Amenadiel said, narrowing his eyes at Phryne. “What if her brain cannot handle it?”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself, brother. She’s seen much more than that of the Devil, and she’s still fine.”

“That is true,” Phryne said, smiling as she met Lucifer’s eyes. 

“So, you may have been lucky with these humans,” Amenadiel amended. “But you’re far too prone to take risks. Where is your responsibility?”

“I got you your demon. What more do you want from me?” Lucifer said, finishing his drink. He enjoyed the way it burned his throat; it would be some time until he would feel that sensation again.

“That you stay in Hell,” Amenadiel said, then he rolled his eyes. “But there’s no use having this conversation; we’ve been having it for millennia.” He reached out his hand. “Time to go,” he said.

Lucifer rose from the chair, stretching his body languidly just to annoy his brother.

“I’ll go on my own, but you’ll have to take Maze. You’re the one who let her out, after all.”

Amenadiel opened his mouth to protest, but Mazikeen already stood before him, holding her arms out with a sharp smile.

“It seems you will have to _touch_ me, Amenadiel,” she purred. “However will you manage, your holiness?”

Amenadiel looked between them, before he relented.

“Fine,” he said. He nodded at the two humans, as ever trying for politeness. “Thank you for your help. And it was… nice to meet you.”

Lucifer turned to his human friends, looking at them with a mixture of longing and delight. Jack raised his arm in farewell; Phryne couldn’t find any words to say. She put her palm to the mouth instead, blowing them a kiss. 

Lucifer nodded, a small smile on his face as he caught the kiss in the air. Then he rolled his shoulders to spread out his large white wings. Amenadiel’s black wings followed; he took hold of Mazikeen’s slender body, his hands dwarfing her waist.

With a rustle, they were gone.

**

Jack watched Phryne sign the bill for the suite that was now vacated, thanking Rudolph profusely for all his help.

“I hope everything was to Mr Morningstar’s satisfaction,” Rudolph said. “I’m sorry I missed him leaving.”

“Oh, yes, it was very satisfactory,” Phryne replied. “Unfortunately, he was rather in a hurry. He sends his regards.” 

Jack couldn’t help but smile at the man’s disappointed face, and how it turned into a small smile at the well-wishes. Lucifer had certainly made friends in London.

Phryne took hold of Jack’s bicep as they strolled out of the hotel. The sun was out, and they decided to go to the Thames for a leisurely walk. A while later, she steered Jack towards one of the bridges crossing the river.

“I hope he won’t be too miserable in Hell,” Jack said.

Phryne nodded. 

“I hope so too. It’s hard to imagine what it’s actually like down there.” She paused. “I suppose he knows how to manage, if he’s done it for millennia. And at least now we know for certain he is the Devil – those wings were very telling.” 

“Makes one wonder how one should lead one’s life,” Jack said.

“I don’t know,” Phryne said, contemplatively. “I imagine we should just keep on going.” 

Jack smiled at that; his eyes melancholic. Thinking about Hell, and about being eternally stuck there, was simply too sad a thought for such a morning. Phryne looked around, obviously trying to find a way to change the subject; to focus on what they had in front of them. Things they could influence.

“It’s a pity you only get to see London in November, Jack,” she said, finally. “The city has more charm in the Spring.”

Jack eyed her worriedly.

“Do you wish to see London in the Spring?”

He was holding his breath, hoping she wasn’t about to say she wanted to stay in Europe. There was no way he could do that, no way he could uproot his life and everything he knew, even for Phryne. Three months was probably the longest he could stay before he needed to go back to work. Would it all be over so soon, this thing they had built between them?

Phryne caught his change in mood and swatted his arm impatiently.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jack. Why would I want to stay here when my whole life is in Melbourne? To see more of my father?”

Relief flooded his guts, making him rather light-headed.

“So, you’ll come back with me?”

“Six weeks at sea with you? Perhaps making a stop in one of the ports before heading on?” Jack nodded at her suggestion; it sounded like an excellent idea. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

He smiled his broadest smile as they walked further onto the bridge; after a few meters he turned to her.

“How about we go home after Christmas? Your mother implied she would be _extremely_ grateful to me if I could keep you here for the holidays.”

“Did she now?” Phryne asked, narrowing her eyes at him. “For some reason I doubt there was any subtle implying about it.”

Jack rolled his eyes good-naturedly; Phryne knew her mother well.

“A month’s vacation in England. The trip. And then we go back to our normal lives, and work,” Jack said.

Phryne looked out at the river, her eyes sparkling.

“I do like the sound of that.” 

“Who knows what cases we will encounter,” Jack enticed her. “Well, not that they can be any more surprising than this last one,” he added.

Phryne looked at him again, her red lips curving into an amused smile.

“More surprising than demons and devils?” she asked. “Be careful what you wish for, Jack. You might just get it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just had to end with that image - Phryne and Jack on a bridge over the Thames - because of that scene in the movie trailer. It 's just so beautiful.


End file.
